Until the End
by SaoryEmanoelle
Summary: Ethan Mars decides to call the police right after he receives the Origami Figures in order to save his son. However, after he does so, only one man will risk everything he has in order to save the child while both have to deal with their personal problems. An alternative plot to "Heavy Rain" where Jayden and Ethan must work together in order to find the Origami Killer.
1. Guilt

**Everyone that plays Heavy Rain makes the same question: Why didn't any of the fathers call the police as soon as they got the shoe box with the origami figures inside? That way they would be able to save their kids without any trouble, right? Based on this question, I created this fanfiction which will show what would have possibly happened if Ethan ever called the police. As such, the fanfic basically starts in the "Paparazzi" chapter. The Killer's identity wasn't revealed yet.**

**I hope you guys like it and, please, preview =)**

_Wednesday_

_7:31 AM_

_1.700 inches_

Ethan Mars was at his table, desolated for what had happened. Losing his first son, Jason, had already been too much for him to handle and now they were taking the other one! How did it even happen? He was right by the carousel; Shaun couldn't have suddenly vanished like that!

Yet, he did. And now here he was: Ethan Mars, blaming himself for what had happened without even fully **understanding** what had happened. Damnit, he didn't even sleep at night, how could he? And now these goddamn reporters were outside, waiting for him to show up and answer their questions.

Allowing himself to pick up the letter he received yesterday, he read it again:

_When the parents came home from church, all their children were gone._

_They searched and called them, they cried and begged but it was all to no avail._

_The children have never been seen again._

What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Did the killer know him? Was that an advice sent to him so he could have a chance to save his son?

Tears started rolling down his cheek. His blackout… His fucking blackout made him unable to protect his son, the person he loved the most in the world. Right after he fell into darkness, Shaun-

He took a deep breath. Fuck, what if **he** was the Origami Killer?

No; it couldn't be. He would never hurt his son, he couldn't have done anything to him, he would never… Shit, he saw the Origami Figure in his hand, he felt it… He…

He grabbed the envelope once again and stared at it, without knowing what to do. It was when he saw something inside it and picked it up.

It was a ticket. A ticket to a subway station luggage locker. He had to check what was in there. He just knew it. He felt it.

Getting up, Ethan went to the backyard. Hell, there was no way he would face the reporters. The Goddamn reporters.


	2. At the Police Station

_Wednesday_

_9:31 AM_

_1.836 inches_

The ARI was over the data show. Captain Leighton Perry, Lieutenant Carter Blake and the police officer Ash were all sitting in the room, waiting for the newcomer, Agent Norman Jayden, from the FBI, to show what he had gathered until now.

And there he was. A 34 years old man, brown hair, green eyes and a pale face, not to mention a notable scar on his right cheek, ready to show them what he was capable of.

"The killer is white, aged between 30 and 45. He doesn't act on impulse but plans his crimes in a very meticulous fashion. He doesn't have anything personal against the victims. That's why he covers their faces with mud, to make them anonymous."

"Why does he kill them if he doesn't have anything against them?" Asked Ash.

"For him they're more of an image, a symbol. That's probably why he gives them an origami figure and a orchid, as gifts to apologize for what he's done to them" Answered the young man, calmly.

"Very interesting" Said Carter Blake, challenging the man "And where does all that get us?"

"The best way of tracking a predator is being familiar with his behavior" Explained the agent.

"That may be true in novels but there's a child's life at stake here", Carter exclaimed. Norman doubted he actually cared about the kid.

"Continue, Jayden" Captain Leighton Perry told him.

"One detail attracted my attention. The interval between the time when a victim disappears and the time when the body is found ranges from three to five days – But the rainfall is always at 6 inches, give or take 10%" Jayden said and, without waiting for an answer, said "All the victims were drowned in rainwater! The killer kills only in the fall, when there's plenty of rain… It could be that he puts them in some kind of well or tank that is opened to the sky and that fills up with rainwater! The more it rains…" He added, a suspenseful tone in his voice "The less time the victim has to live…"

Blake sighed, as if it all was just a waste of time. That made Jayden angry, but he wasn't going to give up.

"Then I studied the geographical distribution of the murders…"

He was just about to explain what he had found when they heard a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir…" Said Charlene, looking really sorry "It's just that Ethan Mars, the father of Shaun Mars, is here and wants to speak with you, Lieutenant. He says it's really important."

Blake got up as fast as lighting and said, an ear-to-ear smile on his face.

"Oh, thanks God! Wouldn't be able stand this bullshit for too long."

Norman stared at him, hate spread all over him. Shit, he had just arrived but he was sure as hell that he would want to kill that fucking Lieutenant as soon as possible!

He was about to continue his explanation – Not having Blake around would be better, anyway - when Captain Leighton Perry interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Jayden, but without Blake I'm afraid your studies won't have too much of a affect. Let's wait for him and, when he's done with whatever Mars has to say, you can continue."

The Agent stood there, surprised by the abrupt choices. Seconds later, he was alone in the room, Perry being followed by Ash out of the room. What the hell had just happened? Shit, the victims' father was here, he had to have something **really** important. That thought, Jayden ran off the room after Blake.

Brown hair and blue eyes, that was Ethan Mars. Didn't know too much about him, yet, but he knew he would have to do it soon or later. He was holding a shoe box and had a really concerned look on his face. Norman approached him and he started to talk, Blake staring at him.

"A… A day before Shaun disappeared I received a letter. This letter" He said and gave the letter to the Lieutenant. Blake held it and read it loud so Ash could also hear – Yes: Ash. He really didn't care about Jayden.

"When the parents came home from church, all their children were gone. They searched and called them, they cried and begged but it was all to no avail. The children have never been seen again.. You received this right before you son was kidnapped?"

"Exactly. And, with the letter, there was this… Luggage locker ticket. I saw it today, in the morning, and went to the subway station so I could get whatever was inside and…"

He gave the shoe box to Blake.

"I found this."

Raising a brow, Carter Blake opened the box meticulously. Norman stood right by his side and, when the box was opened, both of them felt into silence.

There were five Origami Figures inside it, numerated from 1 to 5. Aside that, there was a cell phone and a gun. Nothing more than that.

"I-I don't know what it means…" Ethan started uncertain "But… I turned the phone on and…"

His voice trembled. Norman took one of the figures in his hand and stared at it. It had the shape of a lizard, the number 3 written on it.

"As soon as I turned it on I saw… I saw Shaun!"

The three present people looked down at him.

"Wait, you saw your son?" Blake asked, impatient.

"Y-Yeah, he was locked in a kind of… Of a well or something which it was filling with rainwater!"

Blake stared at Jayden for a second. Jayden smile, challenging. Bingo, his theory had just proved to be right.

"I thought about opening the Origami Figures but as soon as I saw my son I knew I would be needing help."

"You did the right thing, Mr. Mars. Anything else?"

Ethan sighed.

"Yes. There's was a message on the phone and it stated what was in the figures."

!And what is it? Spill it out!" Ordered Blake, even more impatient.

Mars' head was hurting; his eyes were closing by itself. Yet, he remembered it all very clearly…

"How far would you go to save someone you love?" He said "'Five origami figures. Each figure is a trial. Each trial provides letters. The letters reveal an address'. That's what it said."

Jayden closed his eyes, thinking. Damnit, this was no ordinary murderer. He was literally playing with lives here, both father's and son's. It was a game, a game which had to be played by his rules with no exception.

"Did you read any of these "trials"? _The Lieutenant asked.

"No. None of them." Ethan answered.

"Well, then, thank you Mr. Mars. We'll call you back as soon as we find your son."

"Wait! I…"

"What is it?" Blake asked, nervous.

"I think the killer… Somehow, I think he knows me."

"What?" Blake exclaimed.

"And what makes you think that, Mr. Mars?" Asked Jayden, trying to cool things up for the man.

"He… He chose me; he sent me the letter to warn me that my son would soon disappear! Now I have to go through these trials and he'll know if I get help because he's watching me, I know he is!"

Blake sighed.

"Mr. Mars, you helped us out but there's nothing else you can do. Have a nice day" He said, getting up and trying to take the box with him.

_Trying _since Jayden had been faster and had pushed the box against the table.

"Mars is the father's victim, he has the right to know what going to happen and how the investigation will be carried out!"

"What the heck? Are you saying you know better than me, Norman?"

"The killer is playing with everyone's mind and if he chose Mars he surely knows where he is!"

"Wait! Think you can do a better fucking job than me with your psychology degree and your great glasses?"

"Please…" Ethan started, tired "I just want to make sure that my son ends up safe."

Blake was buffing, angry. Jayden still held the box against the table and his eyes were burning with challenge. Fucking FBI Profiler, he would regret messing up with Carter Blake…

"Don't worry, Mr. Mars" Ash started. Norman and Blake jumped: They had forgotten he was there "We'll make sure you know everything so we can save your son."

Ethan sighed once again. Staring at the men in front of him, he said at last:

"So… Shouldn't we open the first figure already?"


	3. The Bear

_Wednesday_

_10:03 AM_

_1.856 inches_

Lt. Blake was furious. That stupid Jayden... How dared he to act like a boss over him? He had no right to question Blake's actions, that fucking bureaucrat!

Now, however, there was nothing the man could do. Jayden, Blake, Ash AND Mars, all of them, where at Jayden's so called "office", ready to open the first Origami Figure.

"Damnit, we're wasting our time with this bullshit!" Exclaimed Carter "Why can't we just open them all at once and send a cop to each one of the trials?" Norman rolled his eyes.

"The killer is no ordinary murderer! If he knows Mars, he is surely to keep an eye on him to garantee he's playing his game."

"Oh, right! And I suppose you wanna play his game?

"In case you've forgotten, Carter" Answered the FBI profiler, calmly "he has Shaun's life in his hands. He can do whatever he wants with him before we even have time to move. That said, we have to act the way he wants us to or else we won't be able to save the kid."

Blake didn't answer. Jayden opened the bear figure and read it loud:

"'Are you prepared to show your courage and save you son? Joe's Garage and Parking Lot 4988 Roosevelt Avenue Lexington'".

"What the heck are we going to do on a Parking Lot?" Blake exclaimed once again.

"I supposed we'll find out as soon as we get there!" Ethan said, shy.

"Mars is right" Agreed Ash "We should go as soon as possible."

That said, Ash and Blake left the room, leaving Norman and Ethan behind. The stared at each other, both wondering if they were doing the right thing.

( - - - )

The police had just arrived. There were three cars, including the one where Jayden, Blake, Ash and Mars were – Jayden and Ash in the back seats. The other policemen were surrounding the place.

"Very well, here we are! Are you coming, Ash?" Carter asked.

"Hold on, Blake!" Jayden interrupted "I think we should let Mars go in alone."

"What? Are you nuts?"

"The trials were made for **him **to accomplish! I thought you would understand when I told you about "playing his game"."

"He's right!" Ethan agreed "I'll go in, see whatever is there and then come back with news!"

Before any of them could argue, the architect stood up and went into the garage. A big plaque read "City Garage: General Hire Service". Feeling chills down his spine, Ethan swallowed hard and entered the place.

The garage was a pretty old one. It was really silent and the only sound heard was of the falling rain outside. There were only a few cars in here and there and also a mechanic who seemed to be working on another one.

"Excuse me…"

No answer.

"Hey!"

"Oh, ah, sorry; didn't see you" _The mechanic answered, getting up and facing Ethan "What can I do you for?"

"I'd like to get… My car?" Ethan said, unsure, and handed the ticket.

The mechanic took the ticket by his hands and smiled in a… Weird way. That made Ethan nervous and, leaving him alone with his thoughts, the mechanic went to get the keys.

"Hey, you're a pretty patient guy, you are!

"Have I been here before?" Ethan asked himself, still worried about being the killer, approaching the man "Don't remember it!"

"That car's been there for two years! We took it out for a drive every month and checked the tires and batteries, just like you said."

Damnit, the car had been there for two years! What did that mean?

"Here! It's the third floor down. The service elevator is at the far end of the garage."

Lost in thoughts, Ethan didn't listen to the mechanics last words. He just picked up the keys and headed to the parking lot, wondering why he had been sent after a car. Getting to the right one, he entered it and waited. His breath was failing him and, somehow, he knew there was something in there for him to see. It didn't take long until he found a GPS and turned it on.

_"Your destination is four miles from here. Leave the parking lot and take the first right"_ A woman voice said.

Outside, Blake was cursing at the sky.

"Damnit! And there goes more of my precious time! If we had entered there ourselves, we would have already found whatever there is to be found!"

Jayden sighed. His head was aching and to stay in here listening to Blake blabbering around made it even worse. Thankfully, it didn't take long before Ethan parked by their side.

"So…?" Blake questioned him.

"Ahn… The… The killer left a GPS. We'll have to go where it wants us to."

"Very well, then. Take the lead, Mr. Mars." Jayden told him, thoughtfully. Before Blake could say anything else, Ethan went ahead. That was enough for Blake.

"Who do you think you are, Jayden? You can't give him orders just like that, **I**'m the Lieutenant here, not you!** I **give the orders, not you! Do you understand?"

"We're going to lose him if you don't hurry up." Norman answered and kept silent, staring at the street. That only seemed to make Blake even angrier but he just looked away from the Agent and followed Mars.

( - - - )

The rain was pouring down violently today. Ethan kept on the lead, three police cars right behind him. He was scared; he didn't know what was waiting for him. At the same time, he thought of Shaun in that well… He seemed exhausted, lonely like that…

_"You have reached your destination"_ The GPS announced. Alright, the time of the truth!

Ethan bit his lips after realizing the GPS was talking to him:

_"Are you ready to show your courage in order to save your son? Listen carefully: Take the highway and drive against the traffic for five miles. If you haven't reached your destination in five minutes, you will have failed."_

Couldn't stop his hands shaking! He wasn't gonna make, he knew it! It was insane! On the other side, if he succeeded he would get more letters for the hangman… But he didn't want to die. Not here, not like that! Still… Still he had to do it! He'd do anything to save his son! No turning back now!

He pushed the hand brake lever.

He had to do it! For Shaun's sake! He had no choice!

He was about to pull the gearshift lever when he heard someone knocking at his window. He jumped: Lt. Carter Blake was there, soaked. Shit, he had totally forgot about the police being here with him…

"What are you waiting for?" Blake screamed as soon as Ethan opened the window, regretting doing so because of the rain "We've reached the destination, what now?"

"He…" Ethan started, not sure about telling it to the man. It was already too late, though "He revealed the trial."

"The killer revealed the trial? How? Have you got his phone number or something?" Blake asked, sarcastically.

"No, he… The GPS told me."

For a moment, Carter stood there looking at him with no emotions at all. Suddenly, however, he burst into a sadistic laugh and raised up his voice:

"The GPS… Right… Are you **fucking **kidding me?"

"N-No…!" Ethan answered, freaked out. He didn't want to get into trouble, mainly because that would make him lose the precious time he had to save his son "I mean it! It told me what I have to do and-"

"And what is it you have to do?"

"I… I'm suppose to drive against the traffic for five miles" He took a deep breath: He knew the man wouldn't like the idea "And get in there in five minutes. That way, I'll… I'll get the letters for the hangman and we'll be able to find the address!"

The only sound they could hear was of the water hitting the car and street. They stared at each other for a while, Blake probably wondering why the man had decided to play with him...

"Blake, what's going on?" Norman Jayden's voice resonated and he approached both of the men, fastly soaked.

But Ethan couldn't wait any longer.

"**I'm telling the truth, for fuck's sake!" **He screamed and Jayden jumped "**I need to drive against the traffic for five miles and I have five minutes to do so!"**

"Wait, what, drive against the traffic? 5 minutes?" Jayden exclaimed and felt nervous. Time was running out, they had to do something!

"You can't possibly be thinking about letting him do that!" Blake warned him.

Norman closed his eyes, his mind working like crazy. Time was running out, there was no way they would ever-

"You'll excuse me!" Ethan announced... "But I've got to save my son!"

…And left in a fraction of a second, heading for his destination. Blake cursed and thought about going after him, but that would just make things even more dangerous! Stupid man, how could he be so stubborn?

"Shit!" Jayden exclaimed and ran into the car at the driver's seat. Before Blake could even notice it, he had already pushed the hand brake lever.

"**What the fuck? You're going after him? That'll only 'cause more trouble!"**

"He's our only lead on the killer and I'm gonna make sure he gets there in safety!" He said and left, Ash still on the back seat, realizing he was being left with the psycho FBI Agent.

"We can't run against the traffic, that's insane!" Ash told Jayden, thinking about the tragedy it would be to have two cars going against the trucks that were coming.

"I'll just keep an eye on him in case he needs us; I'm not stupid to go against such traffic!" He explained, and headed towards the right path, the highway aside the one Ethan was in.

For Ethan, all that was left was despair.

"COME ON!" He kept screaming, trying to remember himself he would be able to do it!

But there were just too many cars going against him! He had managed to dodge a few ones but his attention was suddenly caught when he hit one of the dozens that were coming.

"I can do this, come on!" He kept telling himself, trying to believe in his own words, thinking about Shaun…

At the other side of the road, Jayden kept following him, forgetting about slowing down (Ash kept telling him to be more careful) and just making sure he kept up with Ethan's car. He couldn't lose his sight, and he had to make sure the man would get out of this one alive! But then Ethan's car started spinning and he felt distressed.

"Shit, he's not gonna make. Not gonna make it…!"

"If you don't watch your step, **we're **not gonna make it, Jayden!" Ash told him. But it was useless trying to call his attention.

Ethan managed to get back at his feet with no harm done. He kept moving on, his heart beating up like it never did before making him feel sick. Especially when he saw workers in there.

"MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He screamed and managed to avoid hitting the man. And then he saw other ones, three of them and -

_"You still have three miles to go before you reach your destination"_ Announced the GPS.

**Three miles? **It already felt like he had traveled the whole world from his point of view! Trying to keep calm, he forced the accelerator until he saw two Police Cars right in front of him! Shit, they would follow him as soon as he went through, shit, shit…

There was no choice. And as soon as he went through them, they started following him.

"Oh fuck, not that!" Norman thought to himself. Having to drive like crazy against cars and trucks was bad enough and having the police right behind you… Shit, this only got worse by the minute!

_"You still have one mile to go before you reach your destination"_ The GPS announced for the second time. The police was trying to close him between both cars and Jayden noticed it. Not only that, he noticed they were going through the tunnel. Fuck, he would lose their sight…!

"Keep driving!" Ash said, trying to help "If he makes it, we'll meet him as soon as they get out of there."

Norman nodded. Of course, he had to act rationally! Thinking about that, he accelerated even more and kept going on ahead.

Inside the tunnel, Ethan was still fighting for survival! The police cars were still after him and they didn't seem to be stopping now. As there was another car coming against them, however, Ethan accelerated and got to a safe point in front of his followers, allowing himself to dodge as the car hit the Police Car.

He left the tunnel and saw three trucks coming against him. Without thinking twice, he made his way through and all he heard was a crushing sound as the police car got smashed by one of the trucks.

And a shot.

A shot right through the tire. He lost control of the car. He was thrown off the highway.

"OH FUCK!" Jayden screamed and stopped the car without even thinking about the other ones behind him. Ash was thrown against the seat and, seeing he was ok, the FBI Agent ran off the car trying to get to the other side of the highway.

The car was upside down. His head was bleeding, he felt dizzy and weird, being held by his seatbelt… But he had to get out of here!

_"Destination reached! Please, press the screen!"_ The woman voice kept saying and, as soon as Mars managed to press the fucking screen, it told him "Your reward is in the glove compartment. The key is inside the GPS."

The damn voice kept telling him the same thing all over while he attempted to break it. As soon as he did, he opened the glove compartment and got his "reward", a memory chip for his cell phone. It was when he felt the hot breath hitting him in the back. He tried to free himself of his seatbelt but to no avail. He couldn't stay here; the car was going to blow!

And, suddenly, someone opened the door, desperate. Ethan looked at the man: It was the FBI Guy, didn't remember his name… Of course he didn't remember it: he was trying to save his life, for fuck's sake!

"Ethan! I'll get you out of there!" Jayden told him, trying to calm him down and helped him to take his seatbelt off. It worked and, with the door open, the architect managed to get off the car.

Both started running and stood up a few meters away from it. Ethan had his head bleeding and looked exhausted, but he stood still and showed the memory chip to the man.

"My… Reward…" He told him and used it.

A video appeared on the screen and tears rolled down Ethan's face aS he saw Shaun asking for help from inside the well. Norman couldn't help but feel worried about it: This was happening now…!

Mars fell on his knees and saw what he was waiting for: A few letters for the hangman appeared on the screen.

- 5 - - - - - - - -

R - - - E - - - T - - - -

Ethan started crying. All he had done for mere three letters? If this was the first trial, what would the last one have for him? What if he wasn't able to save his son?

He felt a soft slap on his back and looked up: The FBI guy was staring at him with compassion, as if he understood or at least tried to understand what Ethan was feeling now. Not only his look made Ethan understand that but also his silence, a supporting silence. He knew he could trust him.

"Please…" Ethan said, breathing slowly "They'll try to take me to the hospital but I… I don't have enough time for that."

Norman nodded. Ethan was right: They didn't have enough time to lose at a hospital: They had to open the second Origami Figure right away.

"Do you want to go to your house, change clothes…?"

"No, thanks" Ethan said "If the first trial made me bleed, I'm sure the next one also will."

"But you should at least take a shower!" Norman said "You need to relax at least for a few minutes in order to be able to accomplish the other trials, don't you think?"

Ethan looked at him and nodded, thankfully. The man was right. He needed to get prepared for whatever he was going to face next.

"Oh, and, ahn…" Ethan started, kind of embarrassed "I forgot your name."

"Norman Jayden. But you can call me Norman, it's just fine."

"I see… Thank you, Norman. You saved my life."

Norman smiled.

"Glad to know that."


	4. Recover

_Wednesday_

_3:15 PM_

_2.006 inches_

Ethan Mars was sitting on the passenger's seat, staring at the falling rain that kept coming from the sky, feeling its might power slowly drag him to sleep. Rain made him feel at peace, it always did, especially now that he really needed it. Just thinking about Shaun being drown by it, however, made him hate it all of sudden and he moaned, worried and scared.

Jayden was driving the car. They were supposed to go to Ethan's place so he could prepare himself for the next trial. They didn't talk much to each other, not after Blake suddenly appeared before them a few minutes after Mars got the first letters for the hangman.

_"Holy fuck, Jayden!" He yelled, getting off the car he used to reach them and pointing his finger at the Agent "What did you think you were doing, running through the highway like that? Are you stupid?"_

_"Blake, please!" Norman started, staying controlled "We can discuss that at the Station but right now we have to give Ethan some aid, if you don't mind!"_

_"Oh, yeah, in fact **I do mind! **Weren't you thinking about the other people driving here? You could have killed them, you know! And did you forget about Ash? If something went wrong, **he** would have to pay for **your **lack of responsibility, don't you see that?"_

_Norman blinked, facing the truth. He felt so desperate, so determined to help the man save his kid that he totally forgot about anyone else. He could have even crashed the car, damnit!_

_"Listen, I…" Ethan tried to argue, but was interrupted._

_"You're insane, Mr. Mars!" Blake yelled at him "And everything for what? Did you **actually** get something for this craziness? "_

_"Blake, stop!" _ayden ordered "Yelling at Mars won't make your anger for me vanish! If you've got something to say, say it **to me** and **no one else!"**_

_Norman stared at him coldly. He had had no responsibility, alright, but Mars was fighting for his son's life, it was completely different! If he didn't do it alone, no one else would, that's why he acted like that. Still, Carter liked to play the boss, that he knew very well, and surely would try to settle a few things as soon as they got back to the station._

_"Oh, yeah! I'll make sure to tell ya one or two things, "Nahman": Since you've come in to "help" us, you seem to think you're good at what you do! Guess what? You're nothing more than a piece of shit, critiquing **MY **way of working and interfering in **MY **job!"_

_"I am **NOT** going to allow you to mess up with clues, Carter! You've been working in this case for what, two years? And what did you caught, uh? **Nothing! **Abso-fuckin-lutely **nothing!**"_

_"The first letters." Ethan said, trying to get Blake's attention. Shit, he felt like a stray dog, having to watch the bigger ones fight for a piece of meat while standing out of it, keeping his head down, just accepting everything that was being thrown at him! Did they forget it was **his **son's life at stake here? _

_Blake looked down at him, angry for being interrupted, waiting for him to add something else._

_"The first letters for the hangman! Now we just have to… To finish the other trials and we'll be able to find the address!"_

_Blake sighed, angrier than ever. This one time, the profiler and Ethan were left behind as if they had nothing to do with the case. _

_Norman felt his hands start shaking. He didn't know if it was the cold or even his anger but he surely felt his vision get blurry for a second. He closed them, hoping for it to stop, and turned to Ethan._

_"I'm sorry…" Ethan said, his voice low "I didn't mean to get you into trouble..."_

_"It's ok. It wasn't your fault" Norman said, trying to focus. _

_"Ah… Are you ok? You don't look too good."_

_"I'm just fine." He said, his voice trembling. Ethan would never believe it, but he didn't care "Let's go! You've got to take care of your wounds."_

"Over there." Ethan pointed the Motel to Norman.

"A Motel? I thought we were going back to your place…?"

"It's a little… Far from here and, besides, I… Well, I… Just go in."

The profiler didn't argue. He just parked his car and both got up.

"Room?"

"207. Third floor."

They headed for the stairs. Ethan was moaning, pressing his hand against his chest, hobbling.

"Do you want help?" Jayden asked him.

"No, thank you, I… I think I can do it by mys- Agh!"

"Oh, c'mon! I don't bite, you know?" Norman said and, putting Ethan's arm around his back, he went up the stairs. Mars kept on moaning and looked embarrassed. Couldn't blame him though: To depend on others isn't an easy task. To his relief, it didn't take long before they entered the room 207.

It was an empty place, that's for sure. Nothing really special, just the essential: A bed, a bathroom and a wardrobe, along with a TV and a fridge. He helped Ethan into the bathroom and left him by himself.

"If you feel bad, dizzy or anything, be sure to call me."

"Alright…" Ethan answered, still embarrassed. Off al places, he didn't want to faint in here, at the bathroom, naked and having only a man to help him out! Of course, he just wanted to help but… It would still be weird as fuck.

"Don't you have anything to eat in here?" Jayden asked, opening the fridge "You'll need to eat something."

"No, I… Actually, I came in here right after picking up the shoe box, I… I kinda freaked out so I-"

"It's ok. I understand. But you'll still need to eat something" He finished and sat at the bed, waiting, his hands still shaking.

Ethan sighed, a sharp pain crossing his body. Norman was different of all the others, that's for sure. He seemed to understand him, somehow, and actually cared about his son!

"May… May I ask you something, Jayden?" Ethan asked, wondering if he would still be there.

"Sure, go on ahead.

"Why are you helping me?

He turned in confusion.

"Sorry?

"I mean, you… You **really** seem to be worried about my son and… Well, you're the only one."

Jayden sighed. For Ethan it was just compassion, but for him it was more than that. It was a plague! Instead of just doing his work, he always let himself get too close to people and that usually led him into trouble. He believed in humanity and love and always thought that, if everyone at least tried to act like that, the world would be a better place. To his disappointment, though, that always made him feel like being weak.

"I just want to do the right thing" He said "To be able to actually help people. It's the only reason I joined the FBI, you know. To free the world from these false people out there."

"I see…" Ethan comment, lost in thought. It was good to see there were still a few good people out there.

"What about you?" Norman asked him "Do you have job or something?"

"Yeah, I'm… I'm an architect!"

"Oh, really? That's pretty nice, actually" He said with a smile_ I thought about doing it once but I'm not too good at drawing houses, If you know what I mean…"

"Ha, ha, it's all about dedication, really. The same you need to become an FBI Agent. The only difference is that we won't have to go after killers and all of that, if you know what I mean…"

"Yeah, right!" Norman laughed and Ethan got out of the bathroom, wearing the same clothes as before. Jayden didn't question him: He was right when he said he would possibly bleed again.

That thought sent him chills down his spine.

"So, how do you feel? Norman asked, getting up.

"A lot better, thanks" Ethan thanked him "Should we go?"

"What? No, not yet! You've got to rest, at least for a while and you've **got** to eat!"

"But-"

"Don't worry, I'll go and buy you something!" Norman said and headed for the door "What do you like?"

"Listen, you don't have to, you know…"

"Just tell me, it's fine."

"Ahn… _Ethan sighed" Anything you like is enough.

"Ok then, I'll bring something" He announced and left.

Ethan called but he didn't listen – Or maybe just didn't answer, who knows. He really wanted to help after all…

The fact is, Jayden started feeling weird as soon as he left the room .He reached his car as fast as he could and sat, trying to keep control. His hands were shaking like mad and cold sweats were running through that pale face of his. The world seemed to be spinning and he fought hard against the urge to vomit, his head feeling like it was about to explode…He knew well what was this all about.

A few years ago, after joining the FBI, he was selected, along with 30 other Agents, to participateof onto a program they were creating in order to make investigations faster and better. It sounded good, it sounded fun so… Why not?

The truth, however, wasn't so good like it was supposed to be. And now he was suffering its consequences, the withdraw symptoms of the fucking drug, Triptocaine, which seemed to be tearing him apart from the inside, craving into his veins and pushing them harder and harder, his heart suddenly failing him as he felt it, a tiny vial inside his pocket…

He... He had to take it. He had to take it, only then he would be able to concentrate and save Shaun. Yeah, he surely needed it. He...

He just wanted the pain to stop…

He took the small vial into his hands, that tempting blue liquid inside, staring at him, begging him: _Just this once_, it told him, _just this once and you'll feel better. Time is running out for that kid, you need to be in perfect conditions if you're going to help him, don't you think?_

Before he could even try to control his hands they moved by themselves and he inhaled victorious as the substance ran through his veins, his hands stopped shaking and his vision went back to normal. A few minutes passed as he stood inside the car, thinking, talking to himself…

It was already four o' clock when he went back into Ethan's room with some food.

"Mr. Mars, I'm so sorry for taking so long!" He said as soon as he opened the door "Had a few problems on the way back but I've-"

He stopped as soon as he turned around and faced Ethan. He was sitting on the bed, reading something in his cell phone and seemed really worried. Norman's heart seemed to stop, wondering what was written in there until Ethan spoke:

"He knows it."

Approaching him and leaving the bags behind, Norman read the message:

"_Working alone may be harder in the beginning, but working with someone will make the ending even harder"_

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"Do… Do you think he's watching us?" Ethan asked, scared "He… He could have seen us coming here"

"No. He wouldn't risk getting too close to us… He must have seen me when I helped you out of the car."

"Do you think he's talking about **you**? Specifically?"

"Probably." Norman sighed, thinking "He must have been waiting for you to accomplish the first trial and the only time someone approached you was when I came in to take your seatbelt off…"

Ethan started shaking. Damnit, not only his son was in trouble but now even the one that was trying to help him. He couldn't help but start crying again.

"Ethan, what's the matter?" Jayden asked, worried. Ethan stood up and went into the bathroom to wash his face. Ethan didn't know if he could fully trust him, they had just met each other and here he was, crying in front of him like a child!

Yet, he was the only person he had, the only person he could trust at least for now. He couldn't take it anymore; he needed to share his pain, to make it all go away…

"I… I was married you know." He started saying from the bathroom and washed his face "I was married and… And had two children. Two wonderful boys…"

He sobbed to that memory. Breathing slowly, he went back to his bed and sat there once again, hot tears still rolling his face and falling onto the floor. Norman sat on his side, listening.

"It was when… _He swallowed, trying to keep controlled "I-it was when w-we went to a shopping mall… Just… J-just like a family and... And…"

_"Jason, wait for me! Wait for your dad, son!"_

"I-I lo- lost him in the crowd…"

"_Jason!"_

"And I panicked…!" He kept telling, pieces of this terrible memory flashing before his eyes as if he was traveling back to that moment, a deep agony taking all over him.

_"Disappeared? What do you mean disappeared?"_

_"Jason, God, you really had me scared…!"_

_"The Red balloon! Follow the red balloon!"_

"I saw the car coming…"

_"**JASON!"**_

"A-And h-he called me dad f… For the last time…!"

_"Jason! **NO!"**_

He started sobbing, covering his face with both hands. The pain was just too much for him to bear and Norman realized what his greatest fear was.

"You're afraid you won't be able to save Shaun, aren't you?" Norman asked with a low voice, patiently.

"A-All I want… Is for Shaun to be safe." He finished, sniffling. That's when he felt the known soft slap on his back and stared at the man standing by his side. He looked determined and he saw no lies in his eyes when he said:

"Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to your son! You can count on that!"

Ethan smiled, still trembling. At least he wouldn't be all alone facing the killer…

"You… You better go. I… I don't want you to get into trouble with that fucking asshole just because of me and-"

"Did you just call Carter Blake a fucking asshole?" Norman asked, astonished.

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry, he's… He's your partner, right?"

Norman laughed.

"Guess we have more in common than I expected us to have!"


	5. The Butterfly

_Wednesday _

_7:42 PM_

_2.278 inches_

Ethan slept during two hours after eating. As soon as he fell asleep, Jayden sat at his table and started checking out evidence. The ARI held against his face, he decided not to use any kind of environment this time: If Ethan suddenly woke up he would be able to notice it and hide it as fast as he could – He really wasn't in the mood to start answering questions about himself. They really needed to focus on the kid.

Unlucky, he found nothing. Absolutely nothing. Worked during two whole hours and didn't find a single lead to go on! He had checked the Origami Figures, the shoe box and still had nothing! He had taken his glasses off to relax when Ethan woke up.

"Hi there! _Norman greeted him_ Did the pain stop?

"Yeah, I think so…" Ethan yawned and looked at the clock – 6:30 PM "Have you been waiting for me to wake up?"

"Well, yes, I thought I should since we're going to open the next Origami Figure yet today."

"Wasn't it boring?" Ethan smiled and got up, heading to the bathroom to wash his face "To stay in here doing nothing, I mean."

"Nah, I actually had a lot to work with! This case is a really complex one…"

"Oh, you had your files back at your car?" Mars asked, not seeing any sign of it around here. Jayden smiled.

"Yeah, kind of."

They left the motel around 7 o'clock and went back to the police station, Ethan right behind Norman, who headed directly to Blake's desk. He seemed furious and he became even worse after he saw them.

"Oh, the little fellas finally came back! I was about to leave without you but then I realized I would probably get myself hurt by doing so."

"You surely would." Norman told him, challenging "Shall we?"

They headed to Norman's office and got the shoe box which had been left with Captain Perry, "just in case" – At least that's what Blake said -. This time, Ash didn't come in and only Blake, Norman and Ethan were at the room. There was an awkward feeling In the air after the morning's events, but no one said anything about it.

Jayden picked up the second Origami Figure, a Butterfly, opened it up and read:

"'Are you prepared to suffer to save your son?'" Ethan trembled after realizing the presence of the word suffer. "'The Old Powerplant on Embarcadero Street'".

"The old Pico power station?" Blake questioned "I thought it was abandoned."

"It's pretty far from here…" Ethan commented, remembering time was running out.

Jayden said nothing, lost in his own thoughts. Would it be safe to go with Ethan? Wouldn't that be putting Shaun's life at risk? Again, the killer never said he **wasn't** allowed to help. Maybe he wanted him to be tested too... But why? He never had any children or wife: His life was nothing like Ethan's. Even with his addiction, he doubted the killer knew about it. Then **why** did he allow him to help?

He felt a hard slap against his face and turned around to see Blake looking at him:

"**I'm talking to you, you fuck!"**

Jayden blinked in confusion and stood up. Blake left the room, expecting him to follow.

"Go on, Ethan! I'll catch up" He said and Ethan left, weirded out and kinda remorseful for letting Blake hit him like that. It hadn't been big deal but still…

Norman looked at the box. It wasn't safe to leave it here yet anyone would notice if he just got it. He decided to leave it in there for now, but something told him it wasn't a good idea to leave it here at Blake's reach…

He made his decision and left.

( - - - )

Now, 7:42 PM, 2.278 inches, they finally reached the Pico power station. Only two cars this time, the three men – Ethan, Carter and Norman - at one and three policemen at the other along with Ash (He strictly denied staying at the same car as Jayden). The place was pretty fucked up and really was abandoned. Ethan felt chills run down his spine.

"The wall is down that way!" He said.

Blake headed towards the large gate and tried opening it, as if he didn't even hear what Ethan said. It didn't work.

"There's a Butterfly at the wall!" Ethan said and Norman nodded "Do you think it will lead us to the entrance?"

"Probably! We should surely check it out!" Norman said and approached the figure. Blake and the other policemen were still trying to open the door and Ethan kept staring at the fallen wall; he put his glove and glasses and analyzed the image.

Nothing.

"It's useless, Lieutenant. The gate just won't open."

Blake sighed, bored for having to talk to or even look at the insane Mars and Jayden, but turned around only to find them climbing a part of the wall which was down.

"Hey!" He called, running after them "What the heck are you doing?"

"We're surely not playing basketball, that's for sure!" Ethan said, already at the other side, and smiled. He had had enough of the Lt. and he could tell Jayden also did. They stared at each other, holding they laugh.

"Watch your fucking mouth, Mars!" Blake told him, but he didn't care. Jayden had already reached the other side and now both were heading to the entrance. Blake and the other policemen followed, peeved.

Ethan tried to open the door: It was also locked.

_Shit._

"Há! Didn't manage to open the door, I see!" Blake exclaimed, victorious. That was exactly the thing Ethan didn't want to hear.

"Why don't you try to open it while we check out for another entrance around here?" Norman asked, seeing another Butterfly image heading towards the condensers.

"Sure, whatever!" Blake answered and approached the entrance door, babbling about Jayden's sunglasses during the rain. Ethan seemed to find that weird too but didn't question him.

Walking together, Ethan and Norman headed towards the condensers. They were still active and were surrounded by grid wire meshes. Seeing it was heavily teared, they made their way through it and found themselves staring right at them.

"It seems you're not afraid of Carter Blake anymore!" Norman commented, smiling. Ethan laughed.

"Yeah! I'm already tired of listening to him babbling around… How do you even stand it?"

"I don't." He answered and saw another Butterfly next to a door. "Ethan, look!"

They approached it and opened the door only to find themselves inside a small room with a hatch inside. Both men looked around, looking for something useful – An entrance, to be more specific – but it seemed the killer would manipulate them once again: Opening the hatch would lead to the only way out.

As Ethan tried to open the hatch, Jayden started searching up for clues. There was absolutely nothing, once again. Damnit, no one could be **that **smart, could they? Even with the ARI, this was difficult, more than he'd expected it to be!

A strident sound told him Ethan had opened the hatch.

"A tunnel…" He whispered to himself. Ethan looked through it, trying to see something.

"It's way too dark! Can't see a thing!"

It was when he noticed the matchbox.

"He left it for me to use…" Ethan said and lighted a match, using it to see what was inside. It didn't help for the tunnel was too deep.

"Am I supposed to enter it…?" Mars asked himself but before any of them could say something, a voice called outside.

"Mr. Jayden!" A policeman called as they left the place "Lieutenant Blake wants to see you… Both."

"Did you manage to open the door?" Jayden asked, to what the man nodded "And did you find something in there?"

"That's exactly what he wants you to see."

Both followed the policeman to the place. They entered it and their first reaction was to jump back, a sudden feeling of death floating in the air. The place was totally empty and gave access to another room, also empty. Blake stood in there along with his men, all of them staring at the same thing.

A body. A body inside what seemed to be another tunnel. There were also a lot of rocks over the floor which indicated they had taken them off before finding it.

"Dead by blood loss." Blake announced "At least that's what it looks like."

"Was he… Crawling inside it?" Ethan asked, thinking about what they had just found.

"This… This is just insane!" Blake burst as Jayden analyzed the body "Listen, I don't know why he's been doing this but this killer must have a pretty fucked up mind! I mean, just look inside the tunnel! **Broken glass! **He made the man crawl through **broken glass!** I don't know what kind of substance he used to attach it to the ground but **for God's sake**!"

Norman opened the victim's hand…

He closed his eyes, everything as clear as water to him. Ethan panicked after seeing the matchbox in the Agent's hand.

"Wait… Do I… Do I have to **cross it crawling? **Wha- T… This is ridiculous, I would never survive it! This man died trying to save his son; that can happen to me too!"

"There's gotta be another way in!" One of the policemen exclaimed but Jayden went against it.

"I don't think so. If the killer wants the father to cross through broken glass in order to finish the trial, he won't be able to do it other way!"

He rubbed his hands against his face, thinking about this man's agony and how much pain he had suffered. To die being unable to do anything to save your own son…

"I'm gonna do it!" Ethan announced suddenly. Jayden turned to face him "I… I may die in the process but I've **got **to at least **try**!"

Jayden stared at him, amazed. Even though he was scared he still felt determined to go through it. He would have to face fear, pain and despair alone and yet he was ready to do so. There was something about him… Something about him that Jayden envied more than anything…

He had courage to face his fears. Something he would never have.

"What?" Ash intervened "You can't do that, Mr. Mars! It's way too dangerous!"

"I'd do **anything **to save my son!" He said and turned to Norman, looking for confidence. That he surely saw.

"Just one thing…" Norman started saying "Your cell phone has the loudspeaker functionality, right?"

"Yeah, I… I think so."

"Very well then!" He said and took his glasses off, in order to face Ethan, eye to eye "I want you to turn it on and put it in your pocket since you'll be holding the matchbox in your hand. That way we'll still kept contact and you'll be able to tell me everything you see in there, ok?"

"Ok, I… I understand" He said, giving Norman his number and testing it out. As soon as it worked, they shared they last look before Ethan entered the tunnel.

"Do it slowly! And be careful!" Norman reminded him.

"If I don't get out alive… Will you…?"

"You can be sure of that" Norman reassured him and he entered.

The pain was instant. It felt as if sharp razors were cutting him all over as the pain spread through his arm, legs and body. It was way too dark, he couldn't see a thing and the tunnel was so narrow that he felt like something was strangling him. He lighted a match.

"The match flame, of course!" He spoke to himself "It indicates where the fresh air comes from! All I have to do is follow the wind!"

Outside the power station, Blake, Norman and Ash kept trying to find another way in, something they could work with, something that would actually help! Jayden's cell phone had its loudspeaker on and he could hear Ethan's moans as the glass kept on tearing his body.

"Ethan, can you hear me?" He called, hoping he would listen "How is it going?"

"I… I'm doing it slowly, b-but…"

"**Do not** rush!" Norman ordered "If you do, you'll cut yourself even more and we don't want you to meet the same end as Jeremy Bowles' father did."

"Was he… Jeremy… Bowles' father?"

"Yes, he was. But that's not important, focus on what you've got to do and keep on going ahead!"

Ethan lighted another match. There was a Butterfly drawn there: That's where he was supposed to go!

"Did you find anything?" Ash asked Jayden. They were walking around the station, trying to find something else, maybe even another door or something.

"Nothing at all…" He sighed. ARI wasn't too much of a help under all this rain and he was making sure his cell phone didn't get wet or else it would stop working and he couldn't lose contact with Ethan now of all times!

"I-I found it…!" Ethan whispered. He listened carefully "The exit… I-I'm gonna do it…!"

"Do not rush" Norman kept telling him. It didn't take as long as he had expected… Still, it surely would have if he had entered the tunnel they found first: Probably the reason Jeremy Bowles's father died. A too long passage, blood loss, nowhere to go…

"He did it!" Jayden announced and Blake approached him "He found the exit of the tunnel!"

Ethan's breath was a mere sound under all that rain. Still, he had never felt anything like what he just had. He felt against the floor, bleeding and rolling in pain, still feeling victorious. It was when he got up and saw there was only one way out.

"There's… Another tunnel…" He spoke.

**"Another?"** Norman asked in confusion.

"It… It doesn't have… Broken glasses or anything, but… It is the only way out and I… I surely don't wanna go back. I'm gonna go in!"

No one said anything. He had made his choice.

Fighting against the will to sit in there and wait until the pain stopped, Ethan got uP and slid down it. It was even smaller and he feared getting stuck but that didn't happen and he fell once again. There was an electrical sound and, after finally getting up, he felt as if his heart had suddenly stopped beating.

"Ethan…" Norman spoke, trembling by the mere thought of what the man was getting through, merely capable of focusing on his job and just trying to realize if the man was ok "What's… What's that sound?"

Ethan didn't say a thing. He couldn't. His throat suddenly felt dry and his body acted against his will to move, leaving him in there, just staring at the many live electrical condensers standing in front of him, a Butterfly on the wall at the other side of them.

"Live electrical condensers? Are you kidding me?" Jayden exclaimed, feeling a heavy feeling of fear fall upon him. If they could find the generators, maybe they could deactivate the condensers and Ethan would be able to pass through. Thinking about that, he kept on walking, his ARI trying to find something.

"The… The spaces are different. I think I can go through some of them easier than others…" Ethan said and saw a door labeled "Coward" "Wait, there's a door over here…"

"A door? Do you think you can get out through it?"

"It's labeled 'Coward'… Guess… Guess it is a way out."

Jayden smiled. If he could get out, they surely could come in.

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Go through it, that way we'll be able to go in and help you out!"

Ethan smiled in answer to that thought. But then he remembered…

"_Working alone may be harder in the beginning, but working with someone will make the ending even harder"_

Hell, he was right! It was **his **son not theirs. The killer had already seen Jayden; he would surely prepare something for him. He would test him somehow, just like he was testing Ethan but he didn't deserve it. All he was trying to do was to help and Ethan would make sure he didn't get hurt on doing so.

"Ethan, are you there?"

"I…" He started. He didn't know what exactly to say "I don't think I should."

"What? C'mon, we'll try to help you out!"

"You'll try but you can't!" Ethan said, emphatic "This is something I have to do alone. I'm sorry."

Norman said nothing, still in shock: He would have never expected someone to deny help in such a place, in such a context. Ethan was surely the bravest man he had ever known.

"Wish me luck." Ethan said.

"Wait, Ethan! I want you to analyze each one of these condensers carefully, got that? The slightest wrong move will give you an electric shock! Stay calm and, no matter what happens, remember I'm here with you!"

He knew he couldn't help physically, but he would still do his best to maintain the man confident. Just being able to talk to him would be enough.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Ethan approached the electrical condensers and analyzed each one of them. Moving as slow as he could, he started moving through them.

"Sir! We found another door down here!" A policemen announced and Blake approached him. It was at the other side of the station, farther than the entrance.

"Hey, Jayden!" Blake called "There's a weird sound here…"

Jayden approached him and gasped: They were in front of were Ethan was.

"Ethan, I can hear the condensers! We're near you" He said and waited. If they could only open it…

"Uff…! There goes one of the condensers…!" Ethan said, with joy, after managing to go through without getting shocked. Norman smiled.

"There's gotta be a way to open this thing!" Blake exclaimed trying to open it in vain. It was just like the gate, way too old and rusty, too hard to open. He kicked it, only to make noise for the door didn't move.

"If he's inside it, how is he gonna get out?"

Norman jumped, scared.

He had just heard Ethan scream.

"Ethan? Ethan, are you ok?"

His whole body started aching, his heart beating too fast as each electrical currents went through it, a sudden burst of adrenaline making him feel queasy.

"I-I… I…!" He tried to speak, but couldn't. He was way too nervous to do so and his mind wasn't cooperating with him.

"Stay calm!" Norman told him as Blake and him men kept on trying to open the door "Stay calm and breathe slowly! Don't beat yourself upon it, just stay put!"

But Ethan couldn't afford himself to wait. He couldn't wait, he wouldn't allow himself to rest, not even for a few seconds. He blinked, trying to focus and went through the next condenser.

"We can't open it!" A policemen said "The other door was pretty easy to open but it is as if this one were as good as a new one!"

The killer would make sure no one could get in through another way other than the tunnels, of course.

"Ethan, talk to me!" Jayden asked him, worried. He needed to know if he was ok, he couldn't die now that he was so close!

"I… I-I just got through t… The other condenser…! O-Only two more…! Only two m-more…!" Ethan whispered to himself.

And then he felt another burst of electrical currents through his mind and body and fell on his back.

"Ethan? **Ethan!"**

It was too much for him to handle. Ethan laid on the floor, trying to calm himself up, trying to think positive but nothing seemed to work. He was going to die here, he was going to die and his useless body would only serve to remind of how he failed to save his own son, the person he loved the most in the world…

"Ethan, talk to me!" Norman was actually giving him an order. He was panicking, he couldn't have possibly died, could he?

"I…" Ethan started, tears of pain and sadness rolling over his face "I'm not gonna make it… I-I'm not gonna make it…!"

"Ethan, please…" Norman started, trying to calm **himself **down. Geez, he had to keep control for God's sake! "Listen to my voice. Listen only to my voice!"

Ethan closed his eyes, listening. He felt so scared but not for him… All he wanted was to save his son, to act like the father he used to be when Jason was alive… He… He couldn't miss this opportunity… Still...

"I want you to think about your son, Ethan" Norman said, trying to get his attention "How was your relationship with him?"

Ethan swallowed hard. He didn't understand why he was asking this but answered, not seeing any hope for him:

"After… After Jason's death I… We lost it… H-He felt lonely without his brother but… No matter how much I tried I couldn't ease his pain… I stopped being the father I used to be…"

"And do you love him?" Norman asked, nervous under the man's trembling voice.

"I love him more than anything in the world…!"

Norman closed his eyes. The conviction in his voice, everything… He couldn't let anything happen to this father. It was his duty to protect him, he wouldn't give up!

"He needs you, Ethan" Norman started to say "He needs you more than anything now. And he also loves you. He understands what you're capable of and I'm sure he believes you're gonna save him!"

"But I won't… I-I can't…"

"If your own son believes you can, then I'm sure you can! You're not the strongest man of all, but you're a father and only that can make you able of showing what you're **really** capable of!"

Ethan opened his eyes, his heartbeat slowly stabilizing…

"I told you: No matter what happens I'm here for you!" Norman reassured him "And I'll stay here until you get out, no exception!"

"But why, Norman? Why?" Ethan asked, trying to understand. He had such a faith in him... But did he actually have a reason for it?

"I promised you, didn't I? I'll make sure nothing happens to your son or to you!"

Ethan got up.

"It's… Good to have you by my side, man."

"Until the end."Norman said and smiled, happy for being able to put some confidence into Ethan.

He moved slowly, still weak and trembling, but thinking about Shaun. Jayden made him see that he still had the chance to be the father he once was and he was going to fight for that. If he, somehow, didn't make it…

Jayden would do it for him.

"Only one left…" Ethan whispered and Norman held his breath "I'll… I'll have to jump through it."

Jayden closed his eyes. Behind him, he didn't notice how everyone stared at him suspiciously while he spoke to the man.

"Are you with me, Norm?" Ethan asked.

"I'm with you!" Norman answered and he jumped.

Complete silence.

"Ethan?" Norman asked, barely breathing, trying to hear anything "Ethan?"

There was no answer. However, if he had got stuck, he would surely have heard it, right? He called once again.

"Ethan, please, answer me!"

…

"I did it…!" Ethan announced at least and both men felt their body relax. He had done it, he had managed to get to the other side!

He hurried up and got the memory chip. Placing it into the cell phone – Therefore losing contact with Jayden – he waited until the loading screen disappeared.

"Shaun… The water level has risen again…" He whispered to himself and didn't fight against the tears. There were still three trials waiting for him and they had to act fast if he wanted to have any chance of finding his son alive!

He kept walking through a long corridor until he saw a door. There was a key hanging on the wall next to it and, fighting against his body which kept trying to make him fall, opened it.

The policemen were standing there. And so was Jayden.

"Norman…!" He called and fell forward being held by the Agent before he could touch the ground.

"I knew you could do it…" Jayden told him relieved and helped him to the car. He was in a really bad shape and had lost consciousness, probably after realizing he didn't have to fear being left behind...

"You two seem to get along real nice, uh?" Blake said, sarcastic, and smiled.

"What are you insinuating?" Jayden asked.

"Well, I don't know… You helped him to his house and suddenly he calls you by your name instead as if you were long known friends. Funny, isn't it?"

"I'm supposed to understand people by their feelings. They're humans, just like us, something you don't seem to understand."

"Humans need to deal with fate alone. Only then they'll be able to live life by themselves!"

Norman stopped for a second, a reminder of his past knocking onto his head and he said, staring at the floor:

"No one deserves to live alone."


	6. Determination

_Wednesday_

_8:06 PM_

_2.346 inches_

_Stay with me, stay with me..._

_He needs you, Ethan… He needs you…_

_Just a few more steps… Hang on, please, hang on…!_

Norman Jayden entered the hotel almost running, his whole body sweating, his hands trembling frantically and his legs making their run to the desk as he held Ethan Mars' body in his arms, making sure he wouldn't fall, his arms and legs drastically wounded and bleeding.

As soon as he got in, the woman behind the desk widened her eyes and gasped.

"Oh My God…!"

"Please, Rachel, I **really **need your help here!" Norman called and headed for his room, number 106, second floor.

"Bu-But, Mr. Jayden…!" She started, not really knowing what to do or say, but seeing he didn't give her attention she could do nothing but to follow him.

"W-What happened? I-Is he-"

Jayden hurried up, a sudden bad feeling bursting inside him. They reached for his door and as soon as Rachel opened the door, pale as a paper in face of the bad explained situation, Jayden got in and laid Ethan in his bed, anxious: The man was burning with fever!

"Quick, get me every medicine I have at stock! It's all in the bathroom!" He told Rachel, who hurried up to the bathroom, as he removed Ethan's shirt.

He felt bad just by looking at it. Ethan's chest was heavily burned and his arms were deeply cut, not to mention a few glasses still buried under his skin. Rachel approached him and placed the medicine on the bed side table, picking up the ointment and slowly covering his burn wounds with it. Jayden picked up the disinfectant and the cotton, slowly disinfecting his fucked up arm. Thanks God Rachel was here to help, he would have surely freaked out if he was alone.

Her being here, however, didn't change the fact that Ethan moaned in pain because of how hard Jayden pushed the cotton against his wound.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry…!" He apologized, not really sure if Mars could actually hear him. That was when Rachel spoke.

"Norman, shouldn't we… Shouldn't we call a doctor? He's in a really bad shape and-"

"No." He answered "We don't have time for that. The doctor will surely want to keep an eye on him for a while and that can't happen…!"

"But… What's really going on?" The woman exclaimed, still trying to understand.

"I'm afraid I can't really tell you, I'm sorry."

She didn't ask anything else after that, only staying around to help the man. They bended his pants in order to disinfect his leg wounds, gave him a pain killer and an anti-fever and covered his arms and chest with bandages. It was around 8:47 PM when they finished doing all they could.

"Are you sure we shouldn't call an ambulance?" Rachel asked for the last time.

"I'm sure. Thank you very much, Rachel. You gave me a hell of a help!"

"Anytime. Just..." She hesitated "Tell me when he wakes up."

"Leave it to me" Norman said and she left him alone, Ethan still unconscious.

He stared at him for a few seconds, making sure he was breathing, and got up. He went to the bathroom, washed his face and stared at his other self inside the mirror, thinking, remembering…

Shit, what had he done to himself? He stared right into his eyes, his light green eyes, his once cheerful and full of life eyes now full of guilt and regret, of hurt and sadness. His face looked even paler, he knew that, and as much as it hurt to admit Tripto was killing him he just knew how fast his life would meet its end. ARI and Tripto, all a part of a master plan ready to bring him down along with his brilliant career. The worst part of that was that he really didn't care about losing it all. He had nobody and had no reason at all to keep up with his life.

That is, until he met Ethan Mars.

Such determination in the man's eyes made he think back. Ethan Mars was a role model to be followed, a father like the world had never seen before. He needed to keep up, he needed to stay in line in order to help this man! It was his duty, his responsibility!

Especially after the Butterfly trial, he was sure he was the only one willing to do it.

_Jayden entered the car, ready to leave the power station and give Ethan some aid. The architect was at the back seat, unconscious. Blake just stared at him._

_"What are you waiting for?" Norman said, nervous "Come in!"_

_"Why should I? You two get along nicely, I wouldn't be needed. "_

_"Stop talking nonsense and **get in the fucking car!"**_

_"**You**'re the one who's treating him as if it was your job!" Blake screamed. The policemen stood away, watching without actually hearing anything "You're no doctor, **Norman**! You're supposed to find the killer and track him down not to baby-sit a man who's wounded!"_

_"This man is our only hope of tracking down the killer! We **have **to help him!"_

__"'ve had enough of your bullshit, Jayden! Trying to steal the glory only for you, uh? Great job, looks like you did it!" He screamed and slammed the car's door._

_Jayden sighed. What a twisted fuck._

But he didn't care. He didn't care about what Blake would say, he didn't care about what anyone would say! He would stay still and help this man as best as he could, he would fight for his son's life and more than that he would fight for himself! That's what he wanted to do!

That's what John would have done…

He rested his head in his hands only to find himself floating into his dark and corrupted mind, trying to forget these eternal scars left inside him. He needed to work, to find this fucking killer as fast as he could!

Ethan was still sleeping when, at 9:06 PM, Jayden felt his cell phone ring.

"Norman Jayden?"

"Of course it is you, lunatic." Blake's voice answered.

Norman closed his eyes tightly. His head was aching so much, the ARI still held against his face, and to hear Blake's voice didn't make it any better.

"What is it?"

"Ah, nothing really… Just would like to know if you guys already had your fun?"

"Go fuck yourself, Carter!" Norman cursed and, before he could say anything else, added "I've got news on the case."

"And so do I! That's the reason I wanted to know you guys already did what you had to because if you did, this may leave you a little... Troubled…"

"What do you mean?"

He heard Blake's laugh at the other side of the phone.

"Ethan Mars' wife just left the station…" He said, a big grin lighting his sarcastic face "I'm sure you'll love to hear what she just told us."


	7. The Lizard

_Wednesday _

_9:55 PM_

_2.498 inches_

Ethan Mars sighed once again, staring into empty space. He had completed two of the five trials but there were still so many letters missing… He wondered if the killer really was going to give him the right address. What if he was lying?

He looked down to Jayden's note once again:

_I've been called by the fucking asshole. Wait for me so we can open the next Origami Figure._

Jayden… He had been so nice, helping him and taking care of him and yet he saw no real reason for that. He wanted to find out why he was helping him. What if he wasn't? What if he was helping the killer in someway? It was hard to believe in that but it was a possibility…

That's when he remembered how he had spoken to him through the cell phone while on the Butterfly trial. He really wanted to help and yet Ethan hadn't told him everything he needed to know… His greatest fear, the most important theory on the case…

What if **Ethan Mars **was the killer?

( - - - )

"I'm Police Lieutenant Carter Blake and this is Agent Norman **Jayden** of the FBI." Blake announced as they faced Ethan Mars' psychologist "According to our information, Ethan Mars is one of your patients. We'd like to ask you a few questions about him."

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible…" The psychologist said.

"I beg your pardon?" Blake intervened.

"I'm bound by an oath of secrecy. Under no circumstances may I discuss my patients."

Blake's formality disappeared instantly.

"My job is to find Shaun Mars alive and I don't give a damn about any bullshit oath!"

"Shaun Mars' life may depend on what you know. Tell us what you know, doctor!" Norman Jayden asked politely.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you" The psychologist said, calmly "Now I must ask you to leave."

Blake got up. The psychologist was already getting in his nerves.

"You better cooperate – For your own sake!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just giving you some free advice, Doc!" Blake said and, before Jayden could do anything, grabbed the man by its neck.

"**Blake, are you out of your mind?" **Norman intervened but it was useless.

"Back off, Jayden! This guy knows something and I'm not leaving here 'till he tells me what it is!" Carter said and threw the man across the table, approaching him and punching him without mercy.

"C'mon Doc! There's an easy and a hard way! It's your fucking choice!"

"**You have no right to hit him!" **Jayden exclaimed, trying to stop him but Blake just pushed him away.

"I'm saving a kid's life, for God's sake! If you don't like it… Leave!" Blake said. It was enough and Norman, furious, pushed him hard against the wall.

"What's up with you, Norman? You getting cold feet?" Blake tried to intimidate him, face to face "You don't like to get your hands dirty, uh? I thought you wanted to save that kid!"

Norman started trembling with anger. The fucking bastard, **he **was the one to leave Ethan Mars to die, **he **was the one to forget about the kid's life. He was only interested in being the one to arrest the Origami Killer, nothing else!

"I want to save Shaun Mars just as much as you do but that doesn't give me the freedom to do what the hell I like! So you're gonna stop this shit **right now**!" Jayden ordered him.

The psychologist, still moaning in pain, got up and sat over his desk. Carter Blake turned to Norman and stared at him right into his eyes.

"I'll get you for this, Jayden! Don't worry! I will **not **forget!" He said and Norman got a real bad feeling about his words.

"Ethan Mars has had psychological problems since his first son died…" The psychologist suddenly said both and men turned to him. Blake was smiling "He feels responsible for his death, a sort of morbid neurosis… He is haunted by visions of drowning bodies…!"

Norman kept looking at the man, remembering how Ethan cried and sobbed after remembering Jason's death…

"A few weeks ago, after one of our usual sessions, I found this on the floor" It must have fallen out of his pocket.

A deep silence fell over the room as an Origami Figure was shown to both cops. Blake looked at Norman and smiled, facing a very troubled FBI profiler.

"You drive."

( - - - )

They entered the car and just stood in there for a few seconds. Jayden laid his head against the car's window, thinking, trying to understand. Since he reached the Police Station everything became a mess and he feared he could do nothing to clean that mess up. It…

It just didn't make any sense!

_"Where is it?" Carter asked exasperated._

_"Where is it what?"_

_"The Figures! The fucking Origami Figures, they should be inside the box!"_

_"What do you mean "they should be"? I left them inside the box, just as you told me to!"_

_"I** know **it's with you, Norman! You took them so I wouldn't open them all at once!"_

_"Oh, so I assume you was going to do that?"_

_Carter cursed, thinking about the Origami Figures. He didn't care, he had the most important information he needed, the Figures wouldn't help them on this one._

_"Just spill it out, Carter! You said Ethan's wife came in here with useful information!" Norman said, wishing they could go after Korda or Nathaniel but the twisted fuck facing him just wouldn't listen._

_Actually, he wouldn't let him speak at all._

_"Grace Mars told us something really interesting about your lovely husband…" He said, teasing Norman who was already impatient "She said that, the night before another child was kidnapped, Mr. Mars came home about three AM, soaked and talking about bodies and rain as if, just like she said, 'it wasn't really him"'"_

_"I see… And you think there's a connection between him and the Origami Killer?" Norman asked, calmly. _

_"I think nothing. Just thought I should share the facts…"_

_"Coincidences can happen, Carter!"_

_"Yeah, they can indeed. This one, however… Don't you think it is a little **too much** of a coincidence?"_

_"Are you saying Ethan Mars is the Origami Killer?"_

_"Once again, I'm not saying anything…" Blake said and smiled. _

_No, it couldn't be. What he knew of Ethan Mars didn't fit what he knew of the killer! Besides, shit, why would he kidnap his own kid and then come to the police asking for help? Would he be that stupid to get that near of the police?_

_"Do you have any clues?"_

_"Not yet. But I'm sure his psychologist has."_

It was impossible! Having an Origami Figure didn't mean he was the killer, did it? Yet, Blake sounded so sure of it, so ready to arrest Ethan… He wondered why.

"What are you waiting for?" Blake asked.

"Sorry?"

"Well, you took him somewhere so you could… 'Take care of him'. You know where he is, let's go!"

Norman turned to face Blake, the man's eyes burning with sarcasm.

"You can't possibly be thinking about arresting him!"

"That's exactly what's in my mind, babe!"

Jayden shook his head, sighing.

"We've got absolutely nothing on Mars, we can't arrest him."

"Is that the reason you don't want to arrest him? Or is it because he has a nice dick?"

"Will you **stop **talking nonsense?"

"Ohh, you're shy. Don't worry, I respect you. I mean, everyone knows you're a fag so you don't really have to-"

A hard punch hit him, making Blake feel dizzy for a second.

"Say something like that again and I'll make sure you regret it!" Norman told him, angry.

Blake just stood there for a while, recovering from the sudden attack, Norman resting his head on his shaking hands. Before he could react, a fast movement pressed him against the window and he felt a sudden lack of air as Carter's hand closed around his neck, a maniac desire to kill him right here, not caring about **anything**.

"I suggest you to watch you mouth, Norman" He said maliciously as Jayden tried to free himself from Blake's tight grip "I wouldn't mind killing you right here, right now but that would make things worse for me and I surely don't want to be seen as a bad cop by the FBI. So you better remember that **I **give the orders" He finished and pushed Jayden's head against the window, freeing him from his grip.

Norman coughed and gasped as the good old oxygen was felt penetrating his lungs with a sudden relief, his hands shaking even more. Blake smiled and stood still, waiting for him to drive.

That's when it happened.

Incapable of controlling his fury, long sealed within him, Jayden punched Blake in a fraction of a second with all his might, a cracking sounding telling him he had just broken the Lieutenants' nose. He picked up the man's gun and his own and placed one between his eyes and the other one next to his head. He was sweating with anger and hate and Blake could do nothing but stay still, the pain is his nose making him feel weirded out. Norman stared right into his eyes and said, not even a shadow of a smile on his face.

"I suggest **you **to watch your mouth, Carter! I can be a very patient guy but when someone really gets in my nerves I swear **nothing **gets in my way so you better **watch your back!"**

Carter Blake didn't say anything. He really wasn't in the mood to do so, of course. His nose bleeding, he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to face the fucking Agent staring at him.

"I'll take you to his motel room as you asked but as soon as we get in there we'll go separate ways. Understood?"

Carter nodded and Jayden took the guns out of his face, keeping both with him.

"Oh, yeah: If you ever kill me, you will lose important information on the Origami Figures."

"I **knew **you had picked them up! Where are they?"

"Why do you even need to know? You're not going to finish them all, are you? Now…"

He turned the car on and started driving towards the motel, the two guns still with him "How did things go with Ash? I heard he has a pretty big one… Did you suck it really hard? If you're going to do something, you have to do it well, right?"

( - - - )

Ethan was laying on the bed, unable to sleep. Looking to the clock, he saw it was midnight. He sighed. He had heard no word from Jayden, no word at all. He was beginning to wonder if he was okay when the door opened and he got in.

"Norman!" Ethan greeted him "You had me scared here, why did it take so long?"

But then Ethan saw the look on Norman's face and felt a heavy disappointment when he looked at him.

"Hey, what happened?" Ethan got up, afraid "What did you find out?"

The profiler sat on his bed and stared at Ethan.

"Your ex-wife went to the police station."

"My ex-wife? Grace?"

"And she gave us some information that sent us to your psychologist."

Ethan just stood in there, in shock, looking at him. Had Grace incriminated him? But why? What had he done? Did she…

Did she still blame him for Jason's death?

Norman seemed to know what was in his mind, for his look was so deep that made the poor man feel guilty. But he didn't say anything about Grace. It was worse than that.

"Your psychologist found an Origami Figure on the floor right after the end of one of your sessions" The profiler said and Ethan froze "The figure was of a dog, the exactly same figure the Origami Killer chooses to leave in the hands of his victims."

There was a deep silence after his speak. Mars felt as if he couldn't move or even breathe and the look Jayden had over him... It was as if he was a caged animal being tested, Jayden being the veterinary studying him and seeing how would he react under certain circumstances.

"Time is running out, Ethan" Norman continued "Time is running out for your son and if we want to find him I'll need your full support! I need you to fully trust me, Ethan!"

"But I do trust you!" Ethan said, a little too much exasperated.

"Do you?" He asked and the conviction in his voice made Ethan unable to say anything else "You came to the station, told us everything you knew at the time, gave us the box and all the information it was inside it… Still, I feel there's something missing from that equation Ethan. Something only you can tell me."

The 38 years old man felt as if his legs were about to give in. He rubbed his face, thinking of the answer. He couldn't lose Jayden's trust; he was the only one that actually cared! Hiding the truth, however, would only make things worse and, realizing that, Ethan Mars decided to tell about his greatest fear…

"I…" He started, without looking at Jayden "I sometimes have these blackout… Times where I don't know what I'm doing or who I am…" He sighed and rested his head against the wall, feeling Jayden's gaze fall over him but without looking back "It happened right before Shaun's disappearance. I was next to the carousel and then…"

He lowered his head, remembering of how terrible he felt.

"I found myself in this street for the second time, with an Origami Figure n my hand… I don't know what that means but I haven't seen my son after that…"

Norman kept on looking at him, analyzing him, and Ethan sat next to him not fearing his reaction. He had to tell everything.

"I… I think my other self is testing me!" He finally said, waving his hands "Testing my love for Shaun! I… I wasn't able to save Jason but… I-I just **have **to save Shaun, I **need **to prove myself I can be the father I once was!"

"So… You think you're the Origami Killer?"

"I saw the dog Figure! I held it in my hands even if I've never done Origami in my whole life! Please, Norman, don't hold it against me! I didn't tell you this before because… Because I was afraid you would lose your confidence on me…"

Jayden stared at the floor, not really seeing it. Ethan Mars was surely a disturbed person, jumping to conclusions like that.

"Just…" Ethan started and sighed once again, knowing there was no way out for him "Please, just promise me you'll save Shaun while I'm under arrest."

This time Jayden turned around and faced him. What the heck was him talking about?

"Sorry?"

"You're in to find the killer, aren't you? You found him, there's not reason why you wouldn't arrest me."

"And why should I arrest an innocent man?"

"How can you be so sure of that?" Ethan screamed, nervous, scared "How can you be so sure I'm not acting against my own will or something?"

"I don't know" Norman answered calmly "But I trust you."

Ethan lost his line of thought and just stared back at the pale man, not really knowing what to do or to say.

"I've seen what you've been going through to save your son, Ethan. Besides, your psychological profile has **nothing **to do with the killer's, I can assure you of that."

"Why do you trust me?" Ethan asked, still trying to understand what made this unknown man approach him like that and to go to the bitter end with him…

"Because you also trust me." He answered and smiled. Ethan blinked in confusion "You know I could easily arrest you for something you're not really sure of doing yet you didn't even try to flee."

"I didn't because I knew you wasn't really going to-"

Shit. He understood. Both of them understood. It wasn't just about saving Shaun anymore, it was about saving the three of them. They weren't just partners anymore, there was something more about that, as if they could fully understand each other.

In one day, after facing danger and fear together, they had become friends.

"The other policemen surely know about it, though." Norman said and got up, going to the bathroom and washing his tired face. He didn't remember having a good night's sleep… "So we'll have to be really careful from now on."

"Wait, what about Blake?"

"I took him to the Motel we've been to and took a taxi so we could change ways. But don't worry, he won't come after us, at least not tonight."

"Is there a reason for that?" Ethan asked, suspiciously.

"Maybe… Who knows?" Norman said, smiling "What really matters is that we open the next Origami Figure as soon as possible, save your son and prove you're innocent!" He said and pulled a mattress from under his bed "Right now, we better take a nap. I don't think they would come after me so you'll be safe in here."

Ethan smiled, relieved. It had been a long time since he met someone who actually understood him like that and he surely wasn't expecting it to be an FBI Agent. For the first time, something told him everything was going to work out. Even with the police chasing him, it would still be possible for them to-

"Oh shit!" Ethan exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"The Figures!" He said, freaking out "They were left at the station and we can't go back in there, can we? Even if you do, they'll surely question you and-"

"Oh… That…"

Ethan stared at him suspiciously. This guy was nuts!

"I can't believe you did that."

"Did you really think I would leave them under Carter's sight? No way!" Norman smiled and took the last three Origami Figures out of the bed side table's drawer.

Ethan smiled back. At least they agreed in one thing: Carter Blake was an asshole and they would do whatever they could to keep him away from the figures.

"There is a red toothbrush at the bathroom you can use. I brought my own, so that one is free" Norman said and took his shirt off, grabbing something more comfortable to use.

"Wait, you don't have to sleep in the mattress, it's your bed!" Ethan said.

"You're the one that'll face the third trial, I'll only help. A good night's sleep will be good for you, believe me" Norman said. It had been a long time since he managed to sleep and he doubted he would do it today. Just to lay in there for a while, however, would do him some good. Or he hoped it would...

That said, Ethan brushed his teeth and went to bed, fearing what the next trial would prepare for him. If he wasn't the killer, as Norman believed so, they had to find out who was the bastard. If he was, however, this man might be in danger… Before he could say something, however, he fastly fell asleep, having his so needed rest.

Next to the bed, laying on the mattress on the floor, Norman Jayden questioned if he was doing the right thing. Hell, Ethan could be the killer! Still, he just… He just didn't believe he was guilty! There was no way he could be and even if the was he had absolutely no control over his actions while facing these blackouts. "I'm an FBI Agent, that's what I do: Help people and make the world become a better place", John told him. And he was right. If they didn't fight for justice, who else would?

( - - - )

Thursday. It was 7:47 AM, 3.060 inches. Jayden didn't manage to sleep, as he knew he wouldn't. Dang, he felt so tired and yet… Was is Tripto that was keeping him like that? Was it fucking up his whole body, trying to make him lose its conscience in the most crucial moment?

The third Figure was of a Lizard. They had opened it around 7:10 AM, right after waking up, and had read it out loud:

_"Are you prepared to make a sacrifice to save your son? 9711 Marble Street"._

Now, they were entering an empty apartment, apparently burnt. They were especially careful while coming and, thanks God, didn't see any policemen around. The last thing they needed was to be followed by Carter Fucking Blake and his oh so precious Ash. They went up the stairs and found themselves in a corridor, five or even more new porcelain lizards laying on the floor, contrasting with the old beat up place.

"Porcelain lizards…" Ethan whispered to himself.

"And there's a door…" Norman added "A door with a green Lizard drawn on it!"

He tried to open it, knowing it would be locked. It was way too obvious, so Ethan picked up the green porcelain lizard and crashed it on against the floor. A key popped up and, without wasting their time, they entered the room.

It was even worse than the corridor. The room was totally fucked up, its walls seemed to be rotten, the floor was covered with dirt and there was a disgusting smell in the air. As they got in, however, both noticed a computer-like device over the table with a play button on its screen. Ethan approached it and pressed the button. The known woman voice spoke:

_"Are you prepared to suffer to save your son? Your partner has five minutes to cut off the last section of one of your fingers in front of the camera. If he succeeds, you'll get your reward"._

It took them a few seconds to absorb the whole information and when they did, a regressive counter marked 5:00 on the screen, both of them stepping back in fear.

"Wait, what?" Norman asked, desperate. This couldn't be happening, this **wasn't **happening! "He… He wants… **Me **to cut **your **finger off?"

Ethan propped himself on the table, sweats running all over his body. Damnit, the pain.. The pain would be terrible...

"Seriously, Ethan, this is unnaceptable" Norman tried to call his attention, trying to find another solution "I-I just can't do it! I just **can't**!"

But Ethan had already made up his mind.

"Quick: Grab everything you can find in the room and place it over the table! There's not much time left!" He said and picked up a saw at the right side of the table.

"Wha… Hold on!" Jayden asked, his hands shaking more than ever, pure horror taking over him, his heart beating strongly against his chest. Ethan, however, didn't listen to him.

"We need to find something sharp, it'll make things better and faster!" He said, trying to keep control of himself. Think about Shaun, think about Shaun…

Norman held his hands together, trying to focus but he just couldn't, he just… Shit, this killer was a maniac, a lunatic, worst than anything he had ever faced before. Why him, for God's sake?

"Norman, please, help me! _Ethan called. He was freaking out by now, he needed help!"

"I'm… I'm sorry, I…" Jayden started saying. But there was nothing to say, nothing at all. He went after supplies to cut the man's finger off, sweating through the bones, knowing he was the one to do it. By the time the voice announced they had 4 minutes and 30 seconds left, they had gathered a saw, a scissor, a butcher's knife and a disinfectant. Looking at them all over the table only made both feel worse but Ethan had already made up his mind, determined as always, and sat at the chair, trying to breath slowly in order to concentrate. He looked down at Norman, who looked even paler than he already was.

"Don't feel bad about it" Ethan said, sweating"It's for my son's sake, I've chosen doing it."

Jayden approached the table, a sudden lack of air grabbing him by the neck and trying to push him against the floor. He grabbed the disinfectant and applied it over Ethan's little finger. He closed his eyes which made the Agent feel terrible but kept on doing it. He laid the disinfectant on the table and picked up what was the best thing: The Butcher's Knife.

**Now **he felt scared. No, he didn't feel scared, he felt more than that! He was panicking, he knew he wasn't going to make, he just couldn't do it for fuck's sake…

He approached the knife of Ethan's finger and tried it out. If he applied the right amount of strength, it would easily be cut off and he wouldn't have to do it once again.

"You have 4 minutes left" The voice kept on reminding him.

He brought it up, aiming for the last section of the damn finger. He closed his eyes, focus, Norman, focus…

"_Working alone may be harder in the beginning, but working with someone will make the ending even harder"_

"**I can't!" **Norman exclaimed and let the knife go, turning back and pressing his hands against his head. He couldn't do it, he had no right to do it, he was in it to **help **the man not to make him suffer! The stupid Origami Killer thought he was strong but he wasn't! Day after day he lost his determination, something Ethan Mars had but not him! He closed his eyes, trying to understand. He couldn't cause anymore pain, not more than he had already caused!

Ethan got up, astonished. They were so close, what did go wrong?

"Norman, man, c'mon! If you don't do that, Shaun will-"

"I'm sorry, Ethan, I'm so sorry but I'm just not strong as you are!" He said, his vision suddenly becoming blurry, a terrible headache hitting him like a sharp sword going through his chest, his legs suddenly trying to bring him down and his heart burning with such a rage that it made him feel about to throw up…

"It's not about being strong, it's about confidence!" Ethan said and turned the man in order to face him. His eyes were blood red and he was so blank that his veins were easily seen under his thin flesh. "Oh, damnit, what wrong with you?" Ethan asked, worried.

Before he could ask more questions, however, Norman let go of his hands and turned around, hiding his pain and shame and said:

"I-It's nothing… Just a personal problem, that's all. I just…"

_"You have 3 minutes and 30 seconds left."_

"...Can't do it, Ethan. I'm really sorry…"

Ethan approached him, trying to calm him down from whatever was making him feel like that.

"Look, man, I know it's hard but it is our only choice! If we fail, we won't get the letters and all we've been through will be in vain! Please, man…"

"I don't want to cause you pain, there is no way I'd ever do that!"

"Only you can do it! Please…"

_Y"ou have 3 minutes left."_

Norman Jayden sighed, trying to keep his hands controlled, fighting against the will to faint.

"Why me, Ethan? If any other person were here, dang maybe even Blake,, he would be able to do it and yet you want **me **to do it!"

"I want you to do it because you're my friend!" Ethan exclaimed and that made Norman look back at him "I... I don't know about you but… You're the only one that trusts me no matter what others say. You're… You're the only one giving me support when I most need it, somehow you understand what I feel!"

Norman kept looking at him. He thought…

"I thought I was the only one to feel like that…" He said, surprised.

They kept staring at each other for a while, not knowing what to say. Both were lonely and understood each other, needed each other. Both knew exactly what the other had been through and there surely was a connection between them somehow. It felt weird and good at the same time and made them realize there really was nothing to fear at all as long as they were together. Ethan asked:

"Can you do that for me, Norm?"

Norman smiled awkwardly. Shit, what was he doing? Was he stupid enough to make Ethan's suffering on the first trials be in vain?

"I…" He started and closed his eyes, trying to make the pain stop "I can do it for you, pal."

Both sighed in relief and Ethan went back to the chair. Norman grabbed the Butcher's Knife and held it tightly.

"When you're ready" Norman said, trembling once again.

"I'll be ready when you are."

He brought it up, once again aiming for Ethan's little finger..

_"You have 2 minutes and 30 secon-"_

The woman's voice wasn't heard for Ethan's screams invaded the room, loud and painful screams, tears already rolling his face and dripping in the blood shed over the table, the pain far beyond than he had ever imagined. Ethan laid on the ground, twisting around his oun body in pain, begging for it to stop, praying to God for it to stop…!

Norman Jayden looked away, trembling more than ever in face of what he had just done. His hand over his face, he knew there was nothing he could do to help the man and that trying would only make things harder to go through. His screams… His screams made him feel so guilty but it was for the best, it **had **to be for the best…!

"_Under the desk_" The voice said and Norman had to fight against the tears. All Ethan had to endure only to know it was **under the desk**? For Christ's Sake…!

Ethan was getting up, still weeping in pain and Norman laid on his knees, punching the wood under the desk and picking the chip for the cell phone. He took Ethan's cell phone from his bloody hand and put it in only to see another video of Shaun, the water level so high that it touched his chest. Breathing slowly, both of the men saw the new letters.

There was nothing else to do here. It was over. Only two more trials ahead.

Norman put Ethan's arms around his shoulders and helped him out of the room. He was dizzy because of the pain and surely wasn't thinking straight. They left the room, closed its door and went down the stairs. Ethan laid a little on the old sofa left in there and, before anything was said or done, he smiled to Norman, as to thank him. Norman smiling back. They had nothing to say to each other, their looks already said it all. There's was a supporting silence around them and both realized how much they meant to each other. Being so close, however, would only make the trials harder and that was when the Origami Killer's personal message started making sense...


	8. Eternal Scars

_Thursday_

_8:02 AM_

_3.060 inches_

"Feel any better?" Norman asked, Ethan's hand covered with his own blood giving him the creeps.

"A little… Don't worry, it's just a finger not my head" Ethan played and took a deep breath. It was just a finger but it still hurt as hell, that's for sure! "Aren't you gonna look for clues?"

"I will but only after I take you back home. You need to stop it from bleeding and it's not safe to wait any longer. The police is surely looking for you and as soon as they see my car they'll want to investigate further."

"Your car? They're looking for **me**, not you."

"It's not about them, it's about **him"** Jayden said and smiled as he remembered how good it felt to break the man's nose. Ethan caught up his smile.

"I knew there was a reason. Your 'maybe' wasn't that convincing yesterday, but I let it go…"

"Broke his nose. Nothing special. C'mon!" Norman said and, before Ethan could say anything - Even though with his mouth ajar and tring to hold a smile of satisfaction -, Norman helped him get up and reached for the car.

The street was empty. No police cars around, thanks God. They entered the car as fast as they could, Ethan on the passenger's seat, still moaning in pain. They had to move fast. Ethan was bleeding and that was never a good thing, besides-

A police car passed them going in the opposite direction. They had been spotted.

"Oh Shit, they found us!" Ethan exclaimed, scared "Norman, they found us!"

"Stay calm" Norman told him, thinking frantically. His face, however, showed no emotion at all.

The police car suddenly turned around and went after them. Ethan freaked out.

"Oh** fuck**, they're coming!"

"I told you, calm down..."

"Calm down?" Ethan screamed "You want me to **calm down? **They're gonna get us before you can even think about it!"

"There's a place…" Norman said, fresh memories filling up his mind "They won't be able to find us in there!"

"What? They're just after us, there's no way y-"

"Did I ever give you a reason not to trust me?" Norman asked. That was enough to make Ethan stop.

"Hold yourself!" Norman said and before Ethan could even move, he was thrown to the side as Jayden turned the car around and went against the police one.

"WHAT THE F-"

The police dodged, as Jayden knew he would! He merged into the opposite lane and raced as much as he could, Mars stuck at his seat, the shocked policeman left behind.

"You know you're fucked for what you just did, don't you?" Ethan asked, also in shock.

"I hope it was Blake at the car!" Norman answered and, laughing, entered a dead-end street looking anxiously for an abandoned house. There it was!

He parked the car beneath some old trees as fast as he could, the area behind the house just left behind for time to erase. He got up and fastly ran through what was left of a once beautiful forest he used to play in.

"Quick, follow me!" He called and Ethan did as he asked, still scared and confused. They ended up in front of what seemed to be an old entrance to a cellar. Norman held it strongly and, giving it some tugs from left to right (It almost looked like a code!) he opened the thing.

"I can't believe I still remember this!" Norman exclaimed smiling and let Ethan get in, following him. He closed the entrance and both were consumed by darkness.

Ethan started having problems breathing, lost in this deep and eternal darkness, lost in this never ending corridor, no signs of any light or exit, he… He started choking, losing everything, he…

"Hey." Norman's voice called from somewhere in the darkness and a sudden light came from his cell phone now up in the air. Ethan was blank, scared and Norman smiled, trying to confort him "Don't worry, I know this place! It is safe! Just stay close to me and we'll be out of here in no time. Trust me" Norman finished and held Ethan's hand in order to keep him near in case he had any trouble.

Still feeling dumb, Ethan followed the man, trying to control his nonconstant breathing. Even with the cell phone's light, they could see absolutely nothing on ahead. Ethan felt even more scared when he realized Jayden was counting his footsteps focused more than ever while penetrating the deep and intimidating dark corridor. When he reached counting 47 he suddenly stopped and let Ethan's hand go, pushing something over his head. After a few pushes from left to right, a sudden light hit their eyes and dust washed both of their faces. Still, Ethan felt a lot better and, taking a deep breath, couldn't help but smile.

Jayden went through the now open wooden passage, a very old and rustic one which led inside a house. That was all Ethan knew until now because as soon as they got in, Jayden started laughing all of a sudden and he forgot about anything else.

"Oh My God…" He laughed to himself, his eyes shining more than ever "It's… It's been **years**…!"

He helped Ethan up and closed the entrance. The architect asked nothing: He just stood in there staring at the 34 years old man which now walked around the place as if he was in a dream. He never thought he would ever be coming back in here of all places! He wondered if anyone else still remembered it… Damn, he…

He used to be so happy.

Ethan held his hand still, the pain pulsing through his veins constantly. Yet, it didn't hurt as much as it did before and taking a look around the place he realized they were into the abandoned house they saw from outside. It had some beautiful furniture (Even if it was destroyed by time and dust), some magazines on the floor, some plates… It was as if whoever was in here had left in a real hurry. He wondered why.

At the other side of the room, Jayden had just picked up some notebooks from the ground and seemed to be reading them. Ethan felt even more confused when he realized the man had his eyes full of tears.

"Damn, this is so stupid!" He exclaimed to himself, laughing as he read things he used to write. He had forgotten of how he was always called "Nahman" because of his accent, especially by George and Bernardo. Heck, just look at that quotation…

Ethan left the man to his own, walking around the place and staring at the walls. There were red written names in here and he started to read it…

**_George Williams, Bernardo Parra, Norman Jayden and Tom Wesley – The founders of a new generation!_**

"The founders of a new generation?" Ethan couldn't help but ask "Did you all join the FBI or something?"

"Oh, that…" Jayden got up and approached the wall. He still remembered how they fought against each other to find the best quotation "Not exactly… Think about four teenagers, all boys, alone in an abandoned house… What do you think?"

"Oh, that's what the magazines are for…"

Norman smiled. Hell yeah, to flee from the adults sometimes, to act as they wanted to, to simply live together and happily, sharing dreams and wishes. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be the one to make these magazines for our children!", Tom said once, joking. They surely had a lot of fun together… Until…

"Oh… Oh my God, Ethan, I'm sorry!" Norman apologized "I totally forgot about… Oh, man, I'm really sorry!" He said and looked at Ethan's hand, feeling bad for him "I'll see if I can find something to stop the bleeding!"

"Ahn, s… Sure." Ethan answered. He sat at the sofa while Jayden searched for something that could be held against his amputated finger to make the bleeding stop.

"I tried to clean it as much as I could!" He said, lending a towel to the man "Make sure you press it for at least 15 minutes to control the bleeding until we can leave this place."

"Do you think it'll take long?" Ethan asked and moaned as he touched the finger.

"I don't know… There was no policemen around here, it's an abandoned place. Let's just hope they'll lose us and give up."

Ethan sighed, feeling even more pain than before. It felt hard to speak through it, but he had to keep control. Time would flow way too slowly if they just stood in there looking to nowhere so he decided to change the subject of the conversation.

"So… How did you guys find this place?"

"George found it" Norman answered and started walking around the place again "He was the oldest of us while I was the youngest. He found the entrance and found out how to easily open it, creating this kind of "code": Three to the right, two to the left, open. Enter. 47 footsteps, another entrance: One to the left, four to the right. Open. Enter. Enjoy the naked chicks on the magazines. He was a genius, really."

"Ohh, I see." Ethan started laughing "Were they your classmates?"

"Yes, they were. I found it hard to adapt to the new school but they really helped me out. Don't you misunderstand me, we were all good kids. Never disrespected anybody, always studying, helping each other whenever we could. But we grew up and, well… What would four teenagers, 17 and 18 years old boys, do to have fun far from their parents?"

Both started laughing. It was when Ethan saw another small quotation at the other side of the wall.

**_Ohhh, the looove: Nahman and Rachel! Deal with it Nahmaaan!_**

"Rachel?"

Norman smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah, these guys were always making fun of me because of that. Nothing important."

Ethan smiled once again. Boys, always the same in any part of the world.

"So, you used to live in this town? I didn't know that" Ethan asked, taking a look at his finger: Ugh. Better press it more.

"I… Yeah. From 10 to 18 years old and then I left. It just didn't feel right to come back in here, of all places…" He commented, clearly disturbed "We boys loved to come in here, you know? We had our fun, as good friends always do. But then..."

He lowered his head, stopping and staring at nowhere, a sudden sadness hitting him hard in the chest…

"But then George was accidentally killed by the police."

Silence fell over the place and, all of a sudden, it became a dark and obscure place to stay in. Ethan wished he hadn't asked… This was a sad place, filled with loss and pain, sad memories of a better time… A better time lost forever, only alive in his memories.

"It was one of the reasons I joined the FBI… To fight for justice and for a better world" Norman said, the news playing in his mind, echoing through his head…

'_The 18 years old George Williams was accidentally killed this morning during a massive police operation. The young man was shot after leaving school on his way back home-'_

He closed his eyes, trying to forget. Forget about everything, forget about the moment they receive the news, forget about how they had dreams of becoming great professionals and work together, forget about how everything felt lost that day and how happy they were in face of the end of the year, just waiting to have fun together once again, all of them…

Ethan took a deep breath, trying to say something helpful but he too was feeling deeply hurt because of Shaun's disappearance and Jason's death… He left the man with his own thoughts for a while before changing subject once again.

"Norman? Ahn… Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why were you waving your hands at the air yesterday?"

Jayden was thrown out of his memories with that question. He turned around to face the 38 years old man staring at him.

"Wha- What do you mean? When? I didn't-"

"I woke up during the night sometimes and… I saw you at your desk with these glasses and glove of yours as if…" Ethan continued, regretting asking more questions but he just **had **to know. It looked really weird and he even started wondering if the man had some mental issues… He continued, awkwardly "As if you were playing with the air or something."

Jayden paralyzed. Shit, that surely wasn't suppose to happen. People didn't question his use of glasses while working but like that…

"It is… Confidential of the FBI. I'm sorry."

Ethan nodded, still very confused. What had happened at Marble Street's apartment didn't help to ease this curiosity either.

"And what was that at the Marble Street Apartment? You… You seemed to have had a really bad problem back there."

"It's just a… A personal problem, that's all." Norman said and looked away "I don't want to burden you with my problems."

"Burden me? C'mon, you're here to help me and I'm here to help you! As good partners! What do you say?" Ethan said, really meaning it. Damnit, they had to help each other, that's what friends are for right? It wouldn't hurt to be a good listener, they couldn't go out anyway and he **really **wanted to help.

Fuck, that was it. He would have to tell him the truth. All of his question led to that: To his addiction; the hell he lived in; his fucked up life; ARI and Triptocaine. That just wasn't a good thing, everything should be kept to himself just as the other Agents should do.

That didn't mean they did that, though…

He sat on the sofa in front of Ethan and picked up the known ARI glasses and held it up in the air. Ethan stared at it, confused.

"This guy here" Jayden started saying "is called ARI, which stands for "Added Reality Interface". This technology consists in a pair of glasses and a single hand glove which allows me to analyze crime scenes and access the FBI database in real time, finding clues I wouldn't be capable of without it. For example…" The Agent put the glasses and gloves on and touched Ethan's blood splattered over his hand, analyzing his DNA "You're A+, aren't you? Ethan Mars, born in September 5, 1973, you're the son of Pascal and Judi Mars. Divorced in the last year... Correct?"

Ethan's mouth was ajar. Damn, how could he…? What had just…? How the…?

Norman smiled seeing Ethan's expression. He continued, remembering of how he found ARI incredible when he first used it…

_Called, 26 years old Norman Jayden entered the room. He was confused, just like the others: They had all been suddenly called and said to be ready to test this new "technology" they had. 30 selected Agents and he was the youngest of them all. That didn't make him feel better and when he sat on the chair, facing his superiors, he did it with fear._

_"'ARI'" They had told him "was created in order to make investigations easier to work with, in order to help out Agents to solve cases faster and with a better quality."_

_He trembled in his chair. ARI. Yeah, he had seen it before, when John was using it, when it was only a prototype…_

"As helpful as it can be, however…" He said, laying the glasses next to him "it has its… Side effects."

"S… Side effects?" Ethan asked, still amazed by the technology.

"The ARI integrates with each one of its users through the brain. That's is likely to cause mental damage where we'll feel stuck to its alternative reality without now really noticing it, which means we can start mistaking reality and ARI's reality…"

_He opened his mouth in amazement as he found himself surrounded by the ocean, sharks and rays swimming around him, a peaceful light coming from the sun rays hitting the water plants around him. It took him some time to realize he wasn't going to drown. It looked just… So real!_

_"I want you to analyze your files." One of his superiors said. He couldn't see his superiors but he could surely **hear** them._

_"The… What?" He asked, lost in astonishment._

_"To your left. Just pull out the filing cabinet drawer. I'm sure you'll figure it out."_

_Jayden looked at his left, looking for it. But there was nothing in there, absolutely nothing! However, as if he had already used ARI before, he automatically pulled it out and picked the only folder inside: Zodiac Killer Modus Operandi. He threw it in the air naturally and the folder stopped right in front of him. All of a sudden, he didn't know what to do anymore. He knew how to work with this interface which was a good thing but how could he if he had never even heard about the thing from any other agente other than John?_

_His superiors smiled._

_"You've got talent boy! ARI is perfect for you."_

_He smiled, enjoying it. Damn, it felt great to work with it, to literally control the case, even if he didn't understand how he managed to get control of it that fast…_

But now he did. After working with it for so long, he could finally understand.

ARI had been installed in his brain the moment he first wore it. He didn't control ARI: ARI controlled him.

"That's why" Jayden continued, Ethan's eyes wide "the side effects must be stopped. And to do so…" He picked up a small vial from his pocket, a blue substance well known from bringing him hell and peace, all at once, and held it up in the air "This other guy here was developed: Triptocaine. It aids us against ARI side effects. However…"

"It has side effects of its own…" Ethan completed, finally understanding.

"Exactly" He took it back into his pocket "What you saw in the apartment were… The withdraw symptoms. I'm… Trying to quit, but… Usually, getting nervous makes it even harder for me and coming back to this town of all places just…"

He lowered his head, clearly hurt. Ethan stared at him: This didn't look good.

"I'm… Really sorry about your friend, Norman."

"That's not only it… But it's ok" Jayden tried smiling honestly, with no success. It was all replaying in his head again and he felt as if he had been punched in the stomach "Did it stop bleeding?"

"Ahn, almost there I guess" Ethan said, staring at his hand for a few seconds and then pressing the finger once again.

Jayden felt another hard punch in the stomach and his attempt to get up failed. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his attention in here and now, forget about the past for it couldn't be changed… As he rubbed his face and felt his scar still in there, he saw it all even more clearly and a sudden feeling of despair took over him.

"Norman? What's wrong? Are you alright?" Ethan asked, worried. It took him a few seconds to answer.

"You…" He started, trying to be as honest and sincere as he could "You've got no idea of how much you inspire me, Ethan" Ethan just stood in there, looking at him, not really knowing what to say "You… You're ready to do whatever it takes to save your son and you fear nothing. You're brave and… A really caring father."

Mars swallowed hard. Father, yes, he was a caring father. He tried his best to do anything in order to make his son happy, he really did. But... Why did he even say that?

"Shit…" Norman continued, feeling his eyes weep as a strong headache tried to get over him "Triptocaine has really been messing up with my mind, uh?..." He said, ashamed of acting like a child, about to burst into tears for something that couldn't be changed, something that had happened so many years ago…

"You've been keeping something to yourself during a long time, haven't you?" Ethan asked. He could see it in his eyes.

Norman took a deep breath, still fighting against these useless tears which tried to take over his mind and body, a painful pressure over his lungs making it hard to breath, to think… He stared at Ethan.

"My grandma said it was my parent's dream to have a child, you know?" He started, feeling even harder to speak "When my mother got pregnant, their relationship became even better and, you know, love and all of that" He smiled for a second and suddenly his eyes were filled with darkness and coldness "But something went wrong… And my mother died during the delivery."

He took sometime before continuing. Ethan blinked many times, not really knowing what to say…

"My father was 22 when it happened… He blamed me since the day I was born. Hated me. I tried to get near him somehow but… It just didn't work I guess…" He took another deep breath. His voice started trembling as he continued "Until I couldn't take it anymore and fled."

Ethan saw he had his hands shaking and both knew it wasn't because of Tripto…

"I was around 8 years old..." Norman said, and a single tear rolled down his face "I'll never forget…"

_It was 4:30 PM. His father always got home around 5 so he had to hurry. He was so excited! All his school friends were making plans on what to make for their fathers in the Father's Day. He also had an idea and was already working on it. He looked down at his drawing: It looked pretty goo- No, it looked awesome! He screamed in joy! It would be perfect!_

_His homework was already done so he could relax and went to play with his dinossaur toys - He just loved them all, big and awesome creatures which he wanted to meet. Too bad they were dead forever… Then he heard the door open. He left his room, carefully picking up the drawing, and reached the entrance._

_"Hi daddy!" He greeted him with a smile, his father putting his wallet and a block of papers over a small table in front of the TV._

_"What is it, Jayden? You've got a problem or something?"_

_If only his dad knew how much it hurt not to be called "son"._

_"No, I… I just wanted to see you."_

_"To see me? You see me everyday, why would you even want to see me?" His father asked and sat on the sofa, leaving poor little Norman staring at the door, not even giving him a kiss or hug. Nothing._

_"I…" He started but was interrupted, his drawing still in his small hands. _

_"Pick up a beer for me! The day was too exhausting; I really need to relax…"_

_Norman sighed again. Why couldn't his father be like the other ones were? His friend Albert said his father even played with his toys with him. Was he so unlucky that he got a father who didn't even look him in the eye?_

_Without saying a thing, though, he opened the fridge and got the stupid beer. Taking it to his father, he asked:_

_"So… How was you day, dad?"_

_"My day?" The man opened his beer and stared at his son as if he was some kind of plague "You make the **same damn **question **everyday! **Don't you get tired of doing it?"_

_"I just… I just want to see if you're ok. How things are going..."_

_"Things are fine! What about you? Did you finish your homework? You better do everything or else-"_

_"It's all done!" Little Norman answered, disappointed. He actually thought his dad would ask if he was ok when he said 'What about you'… "I… I made you something, dad!"_

_The man stared at him, suspiciously, and put his beer over the table, next to his work papers. _

_"And what is it?"_

_"It's our home!" He said, handing his drawing to his father "I'm gonna be an architect one day and this is gonna be our new house!" He announced, smiling "What do you think? It's for father's day!"_

_"Father's day? That'll be in a week!"_

_"I know! But I want to know if you like or not 'cause if you don't I still have time to fix things up!"_

_The man smiled. It actually looked pretty good, even if he didn't want to admit it._

_"Yeah… Nothing bad for the first try." _

_"You think so?" Norman asked and hugged his father tightly – He never felt what it was like to be hugged by him "Look! This is my bedroom and this is yours!"He pointed at the paper and smiled._

_"Humpf… You've got the biggest one, I see."_

_"It's for my toys! I have lots o' them!" He answered and got up. He couldn't even believe it: His father was actually giving him attention and he had SMILED at him! It was perfect; this was the best day of his life!_

_"So…" His father started "You really want to be an architect? For what?"_

_"I love to draw! And… And I want to make biiig houses so people can live in them!" He said, bursting with happiness: His dad was making questions about him!_

_"I see… Is that all?"_

_"I… I think so, yeah, it is! But don't worry dad, I'll study a lot and try to be the best architect of the world, you'll see!" He said with a fast wave of his hand. _

_There was a crashing sound and he turned around with fear. The bottle of bear had been crashed in half and its content was fastly spreading over his father's work… _

_"Oh No…!" His father began saying, the anger making his voice tremble "I spent the **whole fucking day **making this **fucking thing and look at what you've done!""**_

_Norman stepped back, scared. He didn't mean to, he would never ruin his father's work, never!_

_"I-I swear I didn't mean to, dad! I swear it!"_

_"Oh yeah? **Prove **you didn't mean that, **prove it to me!" **He started screaming; shit, he hated when he started screaming "Since you've been born you only caused me trouble, **you fuck!"**_

_"N-No... Please, d-dad...!" He started crying. It wasn't his fault; he hit it by mistake, **why couldn't he understand that?**_

_"You're worth **nothing **Norman! **It's YOUR fault that your mother is dead! Your fault!"**_

_**"**P-P-please, s-stop…!" Norman started sobbing and begged. Did he really need to remind him of that every time he got angry? "I-I'm so s-sorry…!"_

_"It's such a pity to have you as a son! **Pity!**"_

_"D-d-d-ad…!" Norman called for him and approached the man. It was when a sharp pain hit him in the cheek and he had his head launched back. He screamed in pain and put his hand over the deep wound in his face. He stared at his father in daze as he saw the half beer bottle in his hands, blood drops over it..._

_"I want you to **go back at your room and stay in there until I tell you to come back! Did ya hear me?"**_

_With his hand pressed against his cheek, he left without a word and entered his room, slamming the door and sitting on his bed. The wound wasn't long but it looked deep. His right hand was already bloody and he realized there was a trail of blood on his room. He buried himself in his arms… _

_Little Norman started hiccupping even more. Everything was working so perfectly and he had screwed it all up as always! It was his fault his mother died and he was nothing more than a plague to his father! Why was he even alive? Why couldn't he just die without anybody taking notice? He didn't care about living anymore; he had no reason to do so. No one to count on, no one to be protected by, no one to give him a hug when he needed to, no one to tell him everything would be ok. He was all alone…_

_All alone..._

Norman Jayden was crying silently, staring at the empty space, his fucked up mind reminding him of everything as if he were watching a movie. His fucking scar would forever haunt him, remind him of his so called life, a life where no one actually cared, a life where he had been left behind with guilt and sadness, not even a little bit of hope...

And they both understood. They had too much in common: Ethan was haunted by the feeling of guilt for not being able to save Jason and Norman's father made him feel the same way about his mother. Ethan had lost the relationship he had with his own son and no matter how much he tried to he just wasn't able to ease his pain, just like Norman tried to have a good relationship with his father but, no matter how much he tried, he had always been forgotten, left behind. The killer somehow knew that and he **wanted **them together! But for what?

Ethan sat next to the man and rested his hand over his shoulder to calm him up. He held his tears as much as he could but even when he became able to speak again they didn't stop from flowing.

"I ran away…" He said, trying to keep calm "I ran away but had nowhere to go. Destiny is funny… It was pouring rain that day…"

_He kept on walking but his head was aching so much that he felt he could faint at any moment. Walking under the rain for so long surely couldn't do well but he had to keep on doing it, he had to get as far as he could from home. He…_

_He had to stay away so he wouldn't cause any more trouble._

_He barely could stand on his feet though and before he could notice he fell against the street, left to die in this cold world. No one would notice him here and he didn't care. He just wanted to vanish for a few seconds, minutes, even forever! _

_But then a worried voice was heard approaching him and he was turned to face the man's face. He didn't really see it for it was too dark, but the man covered him with his umbrella and sounded really worried._

_"Oh My God, are you ok, child? What happened?"_

_Before Norman could answer, however, he felt the ground spin around him and he fainted, unaware of what the man was going to do with him next..._

_When he woke up, opening his eyes slowly, he saw only darkness… Was this hell? No, it couldn't be… It just felt so warm and peaceful that it should be heaven or something… Then a door opened all of a sudden and he froze, not able to speak or move as light was turned on (He closed his eyes with all his might) and a man entered the room. _

_"Oh, I'm sorry!" The man apologized and turned it off, leaving the door open so his eyes would adapt soon "How do you feel?"_

_Norman opened his eyes once again, relieved. The man sat next to him: Norman was on a bed, covered with a fluffy bed blanket – No wonder it felt so warm in here. Confused, little Norman said the first thing that came into his mind:_

_"I… I-I want my dad…"_

_"Hey, don't worry! It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you!" The man reassured him, smiling "I just came in to see if you're ok: How do you feel?"_

_"I… I-I…"_

_"Look, I'll bring you some hot tea and cookies. I'm sure that'll make you feel better. Ok?"_

_He didn't take long. In fact, Norman questioned if he had everything ready for him, just waiting for him to wake up…_

_"So… What's your name?" The man asked. Norman bit a cookie and kept it to himself. He was dying of hunger but he still was in a stranger's house "It's ok if you don't want to tell me, don't worry. Anyway, my name is John!" The man said and gave the little one a thumbs up "I'll let you have your tea then I'll take you back to your home, ok? Take your time."_

_The man got up and was already leaving the room when Norman felt the urge to scream! He didn't want the man to leave: he didn't want to be alone!_

_"Norman!"_

_"What?" John asked, turning around._

_"Norman… Jayden… That's… That's my name."_

_"I see... That's a really cool name, uh?" John sat next to him again, making sure he was comfortable "What do you want me to call you?"_

_"Ah… Anything you want… Sir."_

_"Sir? Alright then… I think Norman will do it. Do you want to take a shower before going back home?'_

_"I… No, I… I can do that later I think… Ah…"_

_The light was turned on again and he closed his eyes once again. John laughed "I'm sorry, Norm."_

_Norm… Not even his own dad called him like that._

_Now he could fully see the man's face: He was a tall and strong man with blue eyes and brown hair. There was something good about him, something that made Norman feel at peace, made him feel no fear at all…_

_The man took good care of him. Gave him some warm clothes he had (Yeah, they were big but he didn't care about their size: He just wanted to get over the coldness), some medicine for fever, gave him more of the tea (It was the best tea he had ever drank!)…** Real **care._

_"Sir?" Norman asked, shy._

_"Yes?"_

_"Why… Why are you helping me? I-I mean, you… You don't even know me."_

_John smiled._

_"I'm a FBI Agent, that's what I do: Help people and turn the world in a better place."_

_Norman opened his mouth in astonishment. _

_"You're… From the FBI?"_

_"Yes, I am: John Hoover, Special Agent! Nice to meet you!"_

_Jayden freaked out! He had never met anyone who worked for the FBI and here he was, being protected by one! That was just so… So… AWESOME!_

_They spent some time together (Norman wanted to know everything about John and the FBI) until the Agent decided to call for the kid's father. Norman sat at the sofa under a bed blanket, right next to the man as he called for his father. The phone rang a few times before it was picked up:_

_"Yeah? " A harsh and bored voice answered. _

_"Hello. Are you Markus Jayden?"_

_"Yes, I am. Who's speaking?_

_"My name is John Hoover. Your son is with me, he's safe, don't worry. I'll take him home now so y-"_

_"Oh, that little fuck found help? Há. Lucky brat…"_

_"Ahn… I'm sorry, sir? I… I said your son is safe here with me and that I'll t-"_

_"I heard what you said, stupid! That shitty Norman Jayden, ungrateful child! "_

_John was speechless. He looked down to the little boy standing next to him, anxiously waiting. He didn't want to go home but if his father missed him maybe they could have a chance of becoming friends? John's smile gave him hope._

_But his smile... It was a lie!_

_"If he wants to flee, so be it!" Markus said at the other side of the line "Can't say I'll miss him!"_

Jayden's face was covered with tears. He remembered everything perfectly… And the memories wouldn't stop flowing, different places and different times popping out of nowhere…

_They had reached the house. Damn, the man surely would think back after seeing his son again, right?_

_"What are you doing here? I told you, fuck off!" Markus yelled._

__I-I thought…_

_"Think again, you ingrate brat!"_

_"You have **no right **to treat him like that!"_

_"He's **my **son, not yours!"_

_Little Norman started crying again, destroyed, hopeless…_

_"Take him **away**, did you hear me? Take that **plague** away from here!"_

_"I'm gonna take care of you… I promise, I won't let **anything **bring you down! " ohn said and hugged the little one tightly._

_"What? D… Did you ADDOPT ME?" Norman screamed in happiness and jumped against John's chest to his heart's content…_

_"Dad…? Are you… Playing with the air?" Jayden asked and John turned around fast, quickly taking the glasses off but it was already too late. Damn, ARI was supposed to be confidential…_

_"When you grow up, you'll be a even better Agent than I am, you'll see!"_

_"I love you, dad!"_

_"I love you too, my son!"_

Ethan smiled to himself as Jayden spoke about everything. His eyes shining because of the tears and the happiness some memories brought him, Ethan finally understood what led the man to help him without a doubt, without regrets…

"John was the other reason I joined the FBI, of course. I wanted him to see me, wanted to work together with him, wanted him to actually feel proud of me! But…" He took a deep breath "I was 18 years old when it happened…"

_Biology classes. 10:36 AM. Norman Jayden was sitting next to the teacher, paying attention as always. It was when Linda, his favorite teacher (She taught History) interrupted the class. As they saw her face, everyone knew something was wrong and Norman felt his heart pump hard as she called for him._

_"Bring your things, sweetie" She said._

_He got up, shaking violently without looking back. He had a really bad feeling and as soon as he left the room, he turned to the woman:_

_"What happened? Where's my father?"_

_"Calm down, sweetie, just come with me…"_

_"Why can't you just tell me what happened then? That would make things easier, wouldn't it?"_

_As soon as he entered the director's room and saw John's partner, Wilson, standing in there, he understood…_

_"I'm so sorry, Norman…"_

Norman started sobbing. That memory was too much for him to handle… Ethan had his eyes watery, being hit by the same pain as his friend. There it was: The reason he had gone through all these trials with him, the reason he trusted him enough to ignore his duty and just flee with a suspect… Ethan reminded him of John, the one he really considered his father, the only one that gave him hope and enough will to fight! Coming back to the city he lived in with his father, where his friend died and being stuck in this false reality ARI gave him with the fucking Triptocaine... Everything had come out at once and he was losing it all… But he wanted Shaun to enjoy the father he had while he still had. He wanted him to be happy.

"H-He sacrificed himself f-for his partner…" Norman told Ethan, just letting it all go, just wanting the memories to fade away... "I-I just wish I could be t-there… Next to him… The same with G-George…"

His eyes became even shinier because of the tears. Ethan tried really hard not to cry in front of him. He had to be strong in order to support him, to help him, to act just like the father he missed so much…

"I… I never really feared death, but… But I fear dying alone, you know."

Ethan stared at him and felt sincerity. Norman continued:

"To live alone is one thing but… To die alone… I just…" He sighed, trying to shake the feeling away "I just, for once, wanted to make sure living was worth it, you know… Just wanted someone to… To hold my hand and tell me everything would be just fine, even after I closed my eyes forever…"

Ethan swallowed hard. He knew where they were getting with this...

"Ethan… You're... You're the only person I can really trust... I've never told all of this to anybody else before and... Please, could you… Could you hold my hand… In my departure?"

Ethan's eyes watered even more. Shit, he was supposed to be strong but how could he? How could he be strong in face of such a question? Damnit, as much as he'd like to he just couldn't do it, he just wouldn't be able to... To watch his friend... Die! However, Jayden was right: They could only trust each other and no one else. The killer wanted to test both of them and they had to stay together in order to prove they were inocent and strong enough to go through any trials he wanted them to! He stared into the watery green eyes and said, smiling:

"Only if you hold mine first."

They smiled to each other. Nothing mattered anymore. The trials, being chased by he police, absolutely nothing mattered as long as they were together. They were more than best friends, it was a lot more than that, and they would make sure no one nor anything could break this strong bond established between them. They would save Shaun and fight for their beliefs, together, until the end, as friends, as brothers, as father and son.


	9. The Shark

**A/N: Not too much will be different from the game in this chapter (You'll understand why) so I tried to make it really simple and objective because to leave it behind would make no sense at all. I still hope it feels entertaining to read it, though, and to compensate the lack of "changed elements from the game", I'll upload two chapters at once, wheee! I hope you understand =) **

* * *

><p><em>Thursday<em>

11:15 _AM_

_3.366 _inches.

It was 9:17 AM when they finally left the abandoned house. Using a shortcut through a street, they managed to get to Jayden's Apartment without being noticed and, quickly picking up the remaining Origami Figures, they left to Ethan's motel room: There weren't too many people around there which was exactly what they were looking for.

As soon as they got in, a sudden feeling of softness felt over both, especially Jayden. They would be safe here, at least for now and, man, it felt good to talk. All this time these horrid memories kept tearing him apart, locked inside him and only him. But now, after facing them as they should be, he felt better than ever. Had even forgotten about Tripto for a second!

"Do you need help?" Norman asked and pointed to Ethan's cut finger.

"Oh, no, I can take care of it by my own, thanks. But feel free to, you know, eat or watch TV or anything you wanna do."

"Actually, I was going to work a little… Do you mind me using your desk?"

"Be my guest!" Ethan said and entered the bathroom, ready to clean up the mess his finger was in.

Hell yeah, working with ARI would be a lot better now that Ethan knew everything about it. Norman sat over the desk, wore his single-handed glove and ARI glasses and there he was, staring at some beautiful trees, a soft wind trying to mess up his hair. He touched the clues' holographic box and opened it up. A new data had been added to it and he quickly checked it out.

It was a video recording from near the park on the afternoon Shaun Mars disappeared. He played it and watched as ARI itself searched for something useful…

And it found it!

A Chevrolet model corresponding to the tire prints he found at the crime scene passed at 16:02 heading for the park and went in the opposite direction at 16:37 which could fit the time Shaun had disappeared. It could be the killer's car, couldn't it? A new clue – The car's image, turned in better quality by the ARI technology - popped up near the floating other ones and Jayden selected it.

"Pity we can't see the driver's face…" Norman thought, angry. That would've made everything easier, that's for sure. He analyzed it: The car had been stolen, alright… A certain Jackson Neville was suspected of stealing it but the charges were dropped. His ID popped up just like the car image did and Jackson Neville's face was seen. Born in September 21, 1982, Jackson Neville AKA Mad Jack was considered to be very dangerous and had already been involved in several cases of buying and selling stolen vehicles. He could have easily provided the killer with the car… Oh well, he would have to check that out.

Jayden took the ARI glasses off and rubbed his face, tired. He really needed to sleep but his mind and body seemed to be fighting against that somehow. His attention was caught by an innocent and silent laugh next to him.

"What is it?" Norman asked, suspicious.

"Nothing. It just…" Ethan started and laughed harder all of a sudden "It is **still **weird!"

"Oh… That." Norman smiled. He should ask to be recorded using the ARI, only then he would understand how weird it looked like to others… "I… I need to thank you, Ethan. For… For everything."

"You don't need to thank me for that" Ethan said "That's what friends are for! Besides, you did the same for me, it's the least I can do. You can always count on me!" He said and gave the agent a thumbs up.

"Same here!" Norman also gave him a thumbs up as an answer, both smiling real big. When all of this was over, they surely would have some good times together, just relaxing, making jokes, playing with Shaun… If only these "good times" came faster…

"So you can actually take care of yourself, uh?" Norman said, looking to Ethan's left hand: It looked pretty good now, clean and wrapped with bandages.

"Kinda" Ethan answered staring at his left hand. Yeah, It actually looked pretty nice! "But what about you? Did you find anything?"

"Yes, I did… Tell me, Ethan, do you remember the exact time when you arrived at the park with Shaun?" He asked. He hadn't been able to speak to Ethan the first time he came into the station since he had had some… Problems.

"It was about… 4:15, yeah, It told that to Blake. You weren't there, were you?"

"No and Blake surely didn't mind telling me about it… Anyway: There's this car here which headed for the park at 16:02 and then in the opposite direction at 16:37. It corresponds to some tire prints I found and there's a possibility of it being the killer's…"

"Wait, you found the killer's car?" Ethan got up, excited.

"Maybe… The fact is: The car was stolen by some guy called "Mad Jack". I'll have to ask him some questions; he might have provided the killer with the car or something…"

"I see…" Ethan sat down once again "It couldn't be that hard, could it? I mean, you're just gonna talk, right?"

"Of course. Just a little talk, nothing special" Jayden said, hoping it would be like that. Something, however, told him it wouldn't be that easy… "Anyway, I think we better open up the next Origami Figure, Ethan. We can't afford to lose more time."

"I was about to say that" Ethan agreed and approached Norman as the man picked up a Shark figure out of his pocket. They stared at each other, suddenly trembling, afraid of what they would have to face next. Norman slowly opened it up and read it loud, gasping while doing so.

_Are you prepared to kill someone and save your son? Brad Silver. Kill him. Send a picture. Get your reward._

Ethan froze in fear. To kill a man in order to save Shaun? That… That just wasn't right! He couldn't kill an innocent person in cold blood like that, even If it was to save his own son… Could he?

"That's… That's ridiculous!" Ethan screamed, scared, walking around the room, sweating "I **can't **do that, I just won't make it! He… He also has a life, he may even have a family… How can I simply go in there and shot him?"

Of course, shot him: The gun inside the box, that's what it was meant for. Norman didn't move, lost in thoughts; damnit, they were looking for justice here but what kind of justice would this be? It went against all of his principles – Kill or be killed surely didn't fit in this case – but Shaun needed them, he needed his father more than anything in the world… He closed his eyes, worried as Ethan started to mumble hysterically to himself.

"I'd do anything to save him, I'd even give my own life to save my son, but **this**… This is just so wrong, but if I go against it S-Shaun is gonna…" He stopped all of a sudden and, as if he had just recovered his senses, looked at Jayden and spoke, serious "Norman, look… I… I'm really grateful for your help, more than you can possibly imagine but… I think I should do this on my own."

Norman turned around to face him, just listening, respectful.

"This has nothing to do with you, it never did. Besides…" He took a deep breath "Having you around will only make harder for me to make a final decision."

The well known deep silence fell over them once again. Ethan felt a terrible will to hide, to run away, to simply vanish for a few seconds… But then the FBI profiler got up and, placing his hands over the man's shoulders, faced him and said, honestly:

"Ethan, listen" He started patiently, trying to calm the man "When it comes to such a situation there isn't right or wrong. We're talking about your son's life! You've got to do what your heart tells you to. I just want you to know that, no matter what you choose, I'll **still **stand by your side. Okay?"

Ethan smiled, ashamed yet glad. It was up to him to make the final decision, of course, but to have Jayden's trust in a time where he had no one else would make things easier! Ethan took another deep breath and Jayden continued:

"I'll be going after Jackson Neville… What do you think about we switch our cars? I use yours, you use mine. That way we'll have a chance to confuse whoever comer after us."

"Wait, but they're after **both **of us… Aren't they?"

"Maybe not… We don't know if they saw my face in the car when we fled; even with my car plate, they can't **prove **it was me at least for a while."

"But they will if they see you using the car of a suspect…"

"I'll take the risk!" Norman said and smiled. A few minutes later, they went in separate ways with switched cars, hoping luck would cooperate and stay by their side.

By the time Norman Jayden arrived at the junkyard, Ethan Mars had already parked near Brad Silver's apartment. He didn't, however, go in. He was too scared to do so… His hands wouldn't stop shaking, he couldn't think straight and even Shaun felt like a blur to him now. He knew he had to do it; he just had to do it! But… He never felt as anxious as he was feeling right now.

It took him a few minutes to get ready for it. It was 11:15 AM.

He recovered conscience with a crashing sound, breathing frantically as he realized his hands were cuffed to the steering wheel and he was being dragged towards the crusher in a crane, Mad Jack laughing maniacally wishing for him to have a slow and painful death. He tugged the cuffs violently, trying to free himself, trying to survive…

He knocked the door, feeling hard to breathe as fear took over the last bit of control he had! It couldn't be that hard to use a gun, could it? He had never used one before… Just… Don't look him in the eye, just… Just shoot!

A good kick on the glove compartment and he saw the other gun he kept safe – Thanks God – just waiting to be of some help. He pulled it up with his foot and grabbed it as fast as he could, the gun slipping from side to side as the crane moved the car. He adjusted it, pointed it to the cuffs and pulled the trigger and the car was thrown into the crusher…

"Yeah? What do you want?" Brad Silver said as he opened the door and faced the architect. C'mon, pick up the gun, pick up the gun… "Oh, fuck it. I've said a thousand times that I don't want any junkies at my door… If you wanna score, man, you gotta fucking call first... C'mon, beat it!"He said, closing the door!

A drug dealer… The man was a fucking drug dealer, people **died **because of him! He wouldn't hesitate for a second if he was the one holding the gun, would he? Ethan knocked again…

"Fuck, are you deaf or what? I said get outta here! You're gonna cause me trouble!"

He fell on his back, closing his eyes as a disturbing pain spread through his bones. The profiler got up as fast as he could and pointed the gun to the backhoe, to Mad Jack.

Only the man wasn't there.

His gun was thrown away as he was pushed to ground...

"Hey! Take it easy man!" Silver said, hands up, the gun pointed directly to his face, Ethan Mars sweating and trembling in despair "Keep cool… What do you want? Dope? Cash? Tell me what you need, I'm sure we can make a deal."

Pull it, pull the damn trigger! As much as Ethan told himself to do it, though, his body just didn't obey to his command and this one weakness was what made him get easily hit and the table was turned as Silver picked up a gun for himself…

_Jayden screamed in pain as a hard kick got him in the stomach, followed by another kick in the face. He was pulled up by the neck, managing to hit Mad Jack in the head and free himself only to receive a punch in the face and fall against the ground, bleeding._

"I'll blow your brains out, you son of a bitch!" Silver said out loud as he chased Ethan through his apartment, shooting endlessly with his shotgun. Ethan jumped over the beds and dodged as best as he could, almost getting shot. The chase continued and no matter how much Ethan ran, the shark would still follow him through these dense waters, its waves making Ethan's legs tremble and sending him against a wall, to a dead end, the shark's teeth ready to rip him apart as the shotgun was pointed at him…

He tried to punch him but felt so exhausted that it was useless to try. An attack against his head and he was grabbed by the neck, being strangled, agonizing under the rain, trying with all his might to free himself from Mad Jack's tight grip. In a desperate attempt, Jayden hit the man's neck with all his will, being thrown to the ground and kicked on the chest. Before he could even move, he was grabbed and thrown against the backhoe, cursing his body for not obeying his commands, making him unable to act properly, his vision still blurry…

"Hold it man!" Brad asked, scared now that he had no more ammo and had the gun pointed to him once again "I'll give you whatever you want! Got dope… Got cash… Y-You want some dope? Please… Please don't kill me man…"

"I've got children…"

That was enough to make Ethan lose control and before he let his hand go down, he held it up with left one, looking at a picture Brad had picked up from the small sofa laying near his children drawings…

"These are my girls, see?" He said as he showed the picture to Ethan, both men nervous "This one's Sarah… And the little one… That's Cindy… Please man…"

Ethan hit the man's hand, letting the picture fall. He couldn't stare at it anymore; he couldn't **do this** anymore…

"I wanna see them again! P-Please… Please, d-don't shoot!" Brad Silver begged, crying, and Ethan found himself with the man's life in his hand…

He defended himself from the attacks, one by one, regaining his strength as he got up. However, it just wasn't enough...

He had no right to take the man's life, they were both fathers, for God's sake! What gave him the right to kill an innocent man to save his son?

Mad Jack tried slamming him against the backhoe. Shit, he was gonna die…

Think about Shaun; think about your son… Nothing will ever stop you from saving your son, he's the person you love the most in the world!

Norman resisted and felt his body touch the ground as Mad Jack got caught by the backhoe's treads…

"I'm a father too…" Ethan said and pulled the trigger.

Jayden got up, facing the gruesome image in front of him…

"But I have no choice."

They would never realize it but after all they had gone through in this day meant something they wished for…

Luck had, in fact, stood by their side.

* * *

><p><strong>Did someone find out why "The Shark" wasn't altered? <strong>


	10. Fish Tank

_Thursday_

_5:17 PM_

_3.774 inches_

Ethan was back to his motel room, his back against the door so he wouldn't fall in weakness… What had he done? He had… He had killed a man only to know the fucking letters were on the **gun grip!** It was unbelievable, unacceptable, it was… It was for his son…

But the man also had children…

He couldn't stop thinking about the little girls' reaction when they find their father's dead body laying right in their room, next to their picture. These little girls, how would they grow up with such a memory, how would they face the world after that? Hot tears dripped from his eyes. Damnit, he felt so ashamed of what he had done…

He heard someone opening the door. He knew who it was but to look at him after taking someone's life… He just stood in there, listening to the falling rain, something he hated more than himself at the moment.

"Ethan, what happened?" Norman fastly kneeled near him, facing him and putting his hand over his left shoulder "What's wrong?"

Ethan kept staring at the floor, seeing through it, back to the little girls… And then Jayden understood.

"Did you-… Oh…" He sighed, speechless.

"H-He…" Ethan started, slowly regaining the strength to speak "H-He had c-children, Norman… H-he was also a f-father and I killed him…!"

_Please, man… I wanna see them again…_

Ethan closed his eyes, hiding his face in is hands. Damnit, he should have… He should have **never **gone in there in the first place! Brad Silver had been killed...

"So I would know the chip was in the **gun grip**." Ethan told Norman, more than nervous with himself and with the fucking killer "At the **fucking **gun's grip and to receive **ONE** **SHITTY LETTER**!"

Norman couldn't hide his disappointment. One single letter? On the gun's grip? Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen like that, was it? Still…

"You did what you thought was right, Ethan."

"But it **wasn't **right!"

"He would have done the same if it was one of **his **children!"

"I couldn't… How could I…"

"It can't be changed, Ethan. It's already done, you can't go back now."

Ethan stared at him, angry. He was only making it worse, that stupid, did he even know how it felt to do something bad as that without actually wanting it?

"Just… Just stop, for God's sake!" Ethan told him, sweating in anger and shame.

"No, **you **stop it!" Norman ordered and did it with such a heavy tone that it made Ethan stop moving at once and face him. He wasn't, however, angry "You are a father, Ethan! You are trying to save **your son**, any father would have done the same! You made your choice, it's done now. Don't blame yourself for what happened: You had no real choice."

Breathing slowly, Ethan kept facing the agent for a few seconds, thinking about what he had just said. Damnit, he still would stand by side after all? He should be throwing him into prison by now!

"Look" Norman continued "We'll finish those damn trials and save Shaun. What comes after that doesn't matter. We have to think about what's going to happen **now**. Understood?"

Ethan nodded, dizzy. Agh, he felt a terrible headache, was hungry, couldn't stop shivering. Norman helped him up and he sat on the bed, even more ashamed. Norman got him some water (The things he had bought the day before were still there) so he would calm down for a while. He took a long swig, giving himself some time to relax as Norman sat on the chair and closed his eyes, trying to hide the pain. It felt as if every bone of his body had been broken. His heart seemed to be in fire and his eyes started closing by their own. Oh yeah, what wouldn't he give for a good and complete sleep right now…

"So…" Ethan started after a few minutes, still shocked but more relaxed "What happened? With Neville, I mean."

"Oh, well, I got some information I guess…" He told him, eyes still closed enjoying the peaceful darkness around him "Didn't work out as I thought it would though. But it's done."

Ethan looked at him suspiciously and realized with a certain surprise he had several superficial cuts over his face. How didn't he see them before?

"You're wounded!" Ethan said, still unbelieving he didn't see it before. Dang, the man was staring right into his eyes, he should have seen it!

"What, this?" He pointed to his own face, eyes still closed. Damn, he felt exhausted "Nah, this is nothing, believe me. To be crushed by a backhoe, **that** wouldn't be too nice."

Ethan opened his mouth in astonishment. Wait, what?

"What do you mean?!"

Norman opened his eyes and smiled as Ethan widened eyes stared at him. It seemed he had forgotten about Brad Silver at least for a second. Good!

"Mad Jack was asked to get rid of a car for someone and get him a new one with false plates. Yeah, he paid cash so you know what happened in the end. The fact is, this "someone" wanted Paco from the Blue Lagoon to know when the car was finished."

"Do you think Paco is the killer?" Ethan asked.

"Or he's the killer or he has had direct contact with him. I'll find that out after questioning him tonight…"

"What more?" Ethan put the glass of water over the bed side table "You didn't get those cuts by talking to him, did you?"

"Maybe" Norman laughed "I searched for clues around the place and he got me. I was about to arrest him when my vision got blurry and all of that…"

"Tripto…"

"Yeah… He tried to throw me into the crusher but I managed to escape and then there was this cool confrontation in there with me being beaten up all over… He got caught by the backhoe's treads and I went back to my apartment, took a shower and then came here."

Ethan's mouth was ajar. What was he supposed to say after that? Damnit, Jayden seemed so relaxed after such a thing, how could he? Norman got up and got some water for himself, feeling his vision get blurry once again. This time, however, he was just very, very sleepy.

"Listen, I… I'm really tired. Do you mind if I sleep for a while?"

"Oh, of course not! Take your time!" Ethan told him and got up to eat something. Jayden put his ARI glasses over the desk and laid on the bed – Letting out a long groan as he felt his body easily relax – staring at the ceiling for a while.

"Are you ok?" Ethan asked "I'm sorry for… You know, I felt so scared and totally forgot about what **you **had to endure and…"

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just don't let me sleep to much, I better get to the Blue Lagoon around 11 PM or sooner."

"I won't." Ethan laughed, biting some fruit Jayden bought for him "And thanks once again for… For everything."

"You have nothing to thank me for" Norman said and smiled weakly, feeling his senses slowly fall into a deep and silent world, somewhere he had nothing to fear, no pain, no worries, just the good old silence pulsing into his ears…

Ethan picked up another cup of water for him and turned around to face Jayden once again who had covered his eyes with his right arm.

"Oh, ah… Don't you wanna eat something? It'll be… Good for you."

...

"Jayden?"

Ethan smiled and sat at his desk, staring at the rain which kept falling and falling while Norman Jayden felt isolated from the world, finally managing to enjoy his well deserved rest.

( - - - )

"Already?"

Norman rubbed his eyes with annoyance. Damn, it felt as he had slept almost nothing, it just couldn't be 10:40 PM already!

"It is!" Ethan called and showed him the watch "See? 10:40 PM, I told you."

Jayden sat over the bed, barely opening his eyes. Aww man, he really needed to sleep more often. He looked to the clock and gave Ethan a groggy smile.

"If you think I can actually see something you're really w-wrooong" He said, yawning. He wished his eyes would open, for God's sake…

"C'mooon FBI! It's time to work! If Paco leaves the place, then we're fucked."

"Hell, you're right… S-Shiit" He cursed, yawning again and laughing to himself. He probably looked like a child now, fighting against the need of getting up. He went to the bathroom and washed his face with all his will. "Wake up Nahman, damn!", he told himself. He came back near the desk, picked up his ARI glasses and glove and his car's key.

"If I don't come back until tomorrow morning you can bet he was a good friend of Mad Jack" Norman said, giving Ethan a brief wave of hand. He was, however, interrupted.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ethan called him.

"To Blue Lagoon, where else?" Norman asked, confused.

"Wait, without me? No way! You better wait for me or I'll follow you and I mean it!" He said and went into the bathroom.

Norman didn't move, trying to understand what he had said.

"Wait, you're… You're **not **coming, Ethan! I can not let you, I'm sorry. It is way too dangerous!"

"You've been through hell to help my son, I'm ready to do the same!"

"It's not about doing the same, Ethan! If something happens to me, at least you'll still be able to find him!"

"What if the last trial requires both of us?" Ethan asked as he left the bathroom "The fourth one didn't, neither the first or the second one but this is the **last **one! Finish him and get the address, **that's **what we're talking about!"

"You're being chased by the police! If anyone in there recognizes you, we'll be in some real trouble!"

"**I**'ll be, not you! The Blue Lagoon is pretty far from here, they may not know me, I don't know!

Norman stared at him suspiciously. Yeah, he really wanted to go, that's for sure. Still, it was dangerous, he couldn't-

"I…" Ethan started and now said it with a really worried expression on his face "I've got a **really **bad feeling, man."

They looked at each other for a while, Norman thinking worriedly. Jeez, what should he do? If there was danger, both could be in good mess and then Shaun would be left behind after everything they had done! However, he also had a bad feeling and having Ethan saying the same made he consider taking him with him… Still…

"We'll have to go to my apartment. You're already slowing me down, Ethan, you better be of some help!" He said, smiling.

"Go to your apartment? Wait, why?"

"You're not expecting to go work with me with these clothes, are you, agent?"

( - - - )

"I don't feel pretty comfortable with this, man…"

_Thursday. 11:32 PM. 4.386 inches._

Ethan Mars was on the passenger's seat, wearing a suit Jayden lent him – It was a little tight but it was all he had for now. Norman turned to him.

"I told you it would be better if you just stood at the motel! Now we're here and you'll have to deal with it!"

"What if they ask for **my **badge?"

"They won't. Just stay next to me and we'll make it through. Don't say anything, just **stay next to me**. Got it?"

"Yes, boss. Whatever you say."

They got out of the car and found themselves staring at a really exotic building, big and blue shining letters saying "BLUE LAGOON", a really loud music coming from inside. Both took a deep breath and went in - The music got even louder of course. Jayden headed directly towards the bouncer, Ethan right next to him pretending to be a cop. This felt weird, alright, but he had to act if needed and he needed to now more of all times!

"I'm here to see Paco!" Jayden said out loud.

"Paco? There ain't no Paco here fella. Get lost!"

Before Ethan could freak out, thinking everything was already lost, Jayden picked up his mighty badge and showed it to the bouncer, who stared at it with a "No way!" expression. Bingo!

"He's in his office" He said, at last "Take the stairs over there!"

Norman nodded and kept on walking. Ethan came after him, trying to keep controlled, to keep cool.

But as soon as he saw the crowd of people he felt a sudden lack of air.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Norman faced him, worried.

Oh yeah, he should have told him about it!

"I... I can't bear crowds. Too... Too many people! Too many people!"

"Wait, you wh- **Ethan!"**

Ethan would have fallen if he hadn't been held by the profiler. Shit, he felt so eager to do something useful, to actually help that he had totally forgotten to tell about his 'little problem'. He would only slow things down, damnit, **damnit**...

Jayden searched for the stairs. No, they weren't far, thanks God! They had to keep moving, he couldn't just leave Ethan behind! Whatever made him feel like that, he would have to go through with it, he would have to be strong!

"Ethan, listen to me!" Norman literally screamed into Ethan's ear as the music kept getting louder and louder "You **need **to trust me now of all times! I'll help you through this, okay? Just stay focused, listen **only **to my voice!"

Ethan tried breathing slowly, tried to calm himself up, but it was too much for him. He coughed and started walking as Jayden put his arm around his back, dragging him with him.

"Are you listening to me, Ethan?" Jayden kept calling, heading on for the stairs, trying to keep calm "Look at that, Ethan! Look, the stairs are right over there, see? We're almost there!"

Ethan tried focusing, feeling a little lighter than before. 'Listen only to his voice, you're almost there, forget the crowd...'

"Oh My God, look at that Ethan!" Jayden screamed "Whoa, did you see that? What a nice butt, oh my! And look at these breasts, ohhhhhhhhh!"

Ethan coughed once again, smiling. Where? Where?

"Oh shit, what about that one over there! Look, she's right on the stair! We gotta get near her, Ethan, quick before she escapes!"

The architect leveled his head up, feeling more confident, just trying to forget about the crowd. Yes, he was going to make it... Yes, they were almost there...

"Daaaaaaaamn, what are those beautiful green eyes?" Jayden exclaimed and Ethan actually laughed to that one. _'Great job, Ethan, you're making it! Keep focused, keep it up!'_ "Ohhh, and that brown hair! Damnit, man, she's looking at me, oh my God, she's looking at me!" He kept on saying, staring at empty space. Yeah, thanks God there was no one at the stairs, but he had to call Ethan's attention to something.

"Quick, before she escapes!" Ethan said, laughing, and Jayden couldn't help but also laugh. It had worked! Good job, Nahman! A few more steps, only a few more steps and…

They did it! They reached the beginning of the stairs. Jayden let Ethan sit and gather some air as he happily asked:

"We… we did it?"

"**You** did it. Not me!" Norman answered and helped to pull him up. Ethan started laughing from happiness, knowing he had managed to do it! He looked around, realizing the woman Jayden was talking about didn't actually exist. He kept on smiling though... However there was something else in his smile…

"Ahn… Jayden?

"Yeah?" Norman asked.

"Has it been a long time since you had sex?" He asked and added "The way you've spoken of that woman totally sounded like it!"

"I knew you would pay attention to that!" Norman laughed and both started to go up the stairs.

"Now, seriously…" Ethan restarted "Has it been a long time?"

Norman smiled, blushing, trying not to laugh again.

"Well, yeah… Yeah, it has. My fucking job doesn't let me have any free time, so… You know."

"I see… If you find someone, please let me know: Seeing all those girls shaking their butts out there actually makes me remember **I **haven't done it in a long time…"

"Who knows? After solving this case and saving your son, we could go and find us some whores. Now that wouldn't be too bad, would it?"

Still laughing, both of them reached for the door – Go back to acting, Ethan!. Norman showed his card to the guard and he let them in.

Suddenly, it all felt into a morbid silence, the music still on somewhere far from there. Without waiting, Norman entered the room silently, Ethan right behind him.

It was a nice room, after all. It had a blue light over it and there was a big aquarium too. A big sofa had been placed at the end of it and it had a beautiful tone. But something surely was out of place. They could feel it in the air, staring at their faces. Their eyes fell over a chair right next to them, a man sitting on it. Slowly, Norman approached him and, before he turned the chair to face him, both knew what they were going to find.

"Oh, damnit..." Ethan exclaimed, seeing the gunshot hole on the man's forehead. Norman kept calm, for it wasn't too much of a shock to him to see dead bodies. Taking the ARI out of his pocket and putting them on, he was ready to find out what exactly had happened and why.

It was when a fast movement behind him made him look back.

Ethan had been launched against the floor by someone, someone who had his face covered and surely had something to do with this murder. Norman tried to reach for his gun but it was too late: The man forced him over the table and sent him right against the other side of it, ARI being launched out of his face. The man was already leaving the room as if nothing had happened when Ethan got up and tried to bring him back, grabbing him. But the man wasn't for play and punched Ethan hardly against the wall, hitting his head against it and giving him a punch in the stomach.

Mars fell against the wall, trying to recover from the attack. The man, once again, headed for the door, but Jayden was faster and jumped against him in an effort to overthrow him to no avail: The man held him by the neck, beating him against the table. Before Jayden could even move, he got what was behind him in the room, something none of the men had noticed to be there - A Katana sword.

Desperate, Norman tried to avoid the attacks. A sharp pain got him in the chest as the blade hit him. Yet, he was able to counterattack and kicked the man, being able to stand for a second.

Ethan had just recovered from the attack when he saw what was going on and saw when the sword hit Jayden once again and he laid on the chair over the body. He closed his eyes in pain and tried to get away kicking the table but was slow and felt a sharp pain again as he was superficially stabbed in the left side of his waist. Shit, he was going to die, he was going to die…

Before the final attack was made, however, Ethan grabbed the man by the neck and pulled him, struggling him and making him drop the sword. Another punch in the stomach and Ethan felt dizzy, but not enough to let go. If he did, Norman would surely be killed and –

Another hard punch was too much for him. He fell on his back, fearing what the man would do if he picked up the sword again. But Norman had already thrown it away and ran into him, trying to knock him down. He felt weak, he felt queasy but he had to try!

Ethan saw when the man got the profiler by the neck and threw him against the aquarium, crashing it with the impact, and left without a word.

Jayden tried to get up, standing on his arms, but the whole world seemed to be spinning and he didn't make it, falling once again. He was breathing frantically, sweating, trembling, suffering... The room was filled up with his pain groans and Ethan got up as fast as he could, approaching his friend.

"Norman! Norman, man, talk to me!"

"Q-Quick, before he escapes!" Norman shouted, angry.

"There's no way of catching up with him, not in a night club as this one: He must have already taken off his mask; we'll never find him in the crowd" Ethan said, sincere. It wasn't worth it.

The profiler was in too much pain. Bleeding, he tried reaching the wounds in an attempt to make it stop, writhing. Ethan helped him get up and sat him on the sofa at the other side of the room, analyzing his wounds carefully. There were long cuts on his chest and – Oh God – what seemed to be a deep wound made when he was stabbed. Norman kept on sweating, breathing with difficulty, just wishing for it to stop... Ethan freaked out, trying to think of something that would help but before he could do anything Norman took a deep breath and, closing his eyes, said:

"I'm… I'm sorry about that… Did h-he hurt you?"

"Stop caring about me and care about you, for fuck's sake!" Ethan answered. He didn't want to sound angry, he was just worried. Really worried.

"I'm ok. _Norman said_ J-Just give me a few seconds to… To ease the pain."

"Oh man…" Ethan slowly lifted up Jayden's shirt and seeing the deep wound felt his heart pump faster. Shit, he was bleeding too much… Shit, Shit…

"I'm ok!" Norman assured him with a trembling and painful voice "Don't worry, I-I'll take care of it. B-But right now I need you to… To stay outside."

"What?"

**"**In case someone comes in… Y-You let them get in and flee. Here" He gave him the car's key.

"Wait, you're… I-I'm not leaving without you! No way!"

"We're here for Shaun, right? You **will **leave me if necessary, no matter what happens!"

"B-But…"

"Please, Ethan" Norman asked and he closed his eyes as a terrible pain hit him and he felt the urge to faint "Just go!"

Not really having any choice, Ethan Mars left the room blaming himself. If something ever happened to Norman, if **anything **wrong happened to him…

Norman felt queasy. He touched his cut, only to see his hand full of his own blood, hoping it wasn't actually deep... He took another deep breath and tried to get up, moaning loudly in grief, only to sit back. _"Keep it together, man, c'mon!"_ He held his breath and he finally got up, fighting against the will to scream in agony as more blood poured down from his abdomen. "Concentrate, Norman, concentrate" he kept telling himself as he wore the ARI glasses and searched for clues. There **had **to be something around that would help, **anything **would do…

On the other side of the door, a worried Ethan Mars stood still, thinking about this bad feeling he felt before… Jayden was losing too much blood, they had to do something **fast**! Goddamn killer, he could have killed both of them in there and yet they didn't even manage to see the man's face. Ethan's heart started pumping harder as a image of a bleeding Jayden agonizing on the floor came to his mind and he opened the door to make sure everything was ok.

Norman wasn't breathing rhythmically but was up, analyzing something he had found over the table (Which Ethan obviously couldn't see). He finished staring at whatever was there and turned to Ethan.

"Nothing else to see here. Let's go" He said, taking out the ARI glasses and glove.

They closed the door and left the room. Norman hid his hands full of blood on his pants' pocket and closed his suit to hide the wounds as they headed for the exit. He tried to keep a normal expression so they wouldn't call attention and as much as it hurt, he kept his head up, thinking about getting out of that fucking place.

Ethan stood next to him all the way. He didn't fear the crowd, didn't even see it! This time, he had his attention focused on something much more important than that.

He had his attention focused on Jayden's life.

"Do you drive?" Norman asked, feeling his throat get dry.

"O-Of course. To where?"

"My apartment, please" He said and, as he sat on the passenger's seat, he closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing deeply, holding his shaking hands together. Ethan looked at him, scared, and faced his greatest fear, something he didn't think would ever happen to the determined man sitting next to him.

Norman needed help.

And he needed it **now**!


	11. Breathe Me

**I want to apologize for taking so long to update this story; I wrote other fanfictions after I lost the will to write this one but today I reread the whole thing and I am motivated back again. I want to make sure Ethan and Jayden find Shaun and I hope that, whoever is reading this (If there is ****_anyone_**** reading this), forgives me and feels the will to keep reading it just as I will to finish it. I think it would be better if you read the whole story again - To remember everything, especially future references I won't want you to miss - but that is up to you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and, once again, forgive me for stopping writing it for a long time ;_;**

* * *

><p><em>Thursday<em>

_11:57 PM_

_4.454 inches_

If **anything **wrong happened to him...

Ethan couldn't stop sweating as the man next to him forced himself to breath, his suit now drenched in blood while his trembling hands tried to stop it from flowing with no sucess. His body was suffering from constant shivers and his troath was already dry. He could see almost nothing as he opened his eyes so he kept them closed, much to Ethan's despair.

"Norman, p-please, you cannot faint right n-now...!" The man begged him, barely able to concentrate on the other cars as he drove through them as fast as he managed to. Jayden did not answer, interrupted by a harsh cough, and put one of his hands over his chest, wishing his heart would stop beating so fast. He felt numb, the will to throw up driving him insane and he realized that his organism was complaining about its state. He should not be feeling like this, not by only being stabbed – At least, that is what he thought even though Ethan thought differently – but his body, weakened by his addiction, was collapsing, although he was trying to fight back. For a second, he knew he wasn't able to breath any longer as he tried to inhale but felt no oxygen in his lungs. A gasping sound came out of his mouth and Ethan, scared, sighed.

"P-please, don't do this to me, man, p-please...!"

The profiler held his cellphone, knowing that only Ethan would not be enough to help him. As he gathered some air and managed to slightly open his eyes he called the one he knew would be ready to answer his call. Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his voice steady and as he heard the soft voice on the other side, he couldn't help but feel calmer.

"Normmy, hi!" Rachel answered, now in her room at the apartment she worked in. But as soon as she heard his struggle to breathe, her happiness vanished in a second "Norman, what's wrong?"

"R-R-Rachel, p-please, listen to m-me...!" He told her and Ethan bit his lips as he heard the broken tone of voice Jayden now had, a painful but controlled cry escaping his lips "I-I n-need you in front of the apartment...! I-I'm almost-" He choked, pressing his waist in a desperate atempt of easing the pain. Rachel gasped, almost in tears, and immediately ran to the entrance of the place, expecting him to come walking "T...Th-there!"

"Oh my God, J-Jayden, w-what happened...?" She asked, unable to contain herself. She knew it wasn't the right time to ask but it felt impossible not to worry and she held a scared sob.

"Sweetheart..." He sighed and turned the phone off as Ethan parked the car. Rachel fastly recognized him through the window and came running after him.

"My God, N-Norman!"

"We need to take him to his room, now!" Ethan told her, helping his friend to walk, Rachel leading the way.

"But he needs to go to a hospital!" She exclaimed, ignoring the fact that she was already heading towards his room.

"N-No h... H-hospital...!" The pale man coughed, holding himself into Ethan, glad that it was already late. Most people should be in places such as the Blue Lagoon and he hoped that, whoever saw him in such state, would not ask anything. They entered his room, stumbling on their feet, and instantly closed the door. Rachel ran to the bathroom to find anything that could help and Ethan helped to lay Jayden on his bed.

"I'm going to faint..." Jayden whispered, staring into emptiness and making Ethan worry even more. This father contained worried tears and sat next to him, holding himself.

"You better stand still, you idiot! We need you awake, got it?"

"I-I don't want to feel any more pain..." He whispered again, losing conciousness "Y-You'll make my wound even worse, if I know you well..."

"Well, at least I did not cut **your** finger off!" Ethan said and an innocent smile covered Jayden's features as he slowly drifted away. Mars freaked out as he realized it and immediately called Jayden back to reality, holding his face with both of his hands and softly slapping his cheeks.

"S-Stay with me, I told you! Be strong, goddamit!" The architect asked and let out a relieved sigh as Rachel approached them with some objects in her hands. She grabbed a cotton and, lifting the agent's once white shirt, touched his wound.

"**AaArgh!**" He screamed, returning to full conciousness due to the pain. "**N-no**... P-**P-**Please...!" He asked them, tears rolling down his cheeks, his voice hurt and distant.

"I-I need to clean it, p-please, be strong!" Rachel told him, cleaning the wound with the wet cotton until she could fully see through the dark red liquid over him. His fingers twiching over the bed, his hand was fully closed over his bed sheet, his suffering sobs breaking Ethan's heart. He helped to take Jayden's shirt off so they could clean his other wounds and, as soon as the blood had been cleaned, Rachel softly touched his cut skin, trying to see through it.

"He has lost too m-much blood but it is not deep, thanks God!" She told Ethan and they pressed his wounds with clean towels she found, causing Jayden to contort himself, a weird pressure falling upon him.

"Are you with me, Norm? Norm?" Ethan called, painful groans leaving the profiler's mouth.

"Y... Yes. A-are you d-done...?"

"Almost there" Rachel told him. They checked his temperature and brought him a blanket in order to keep his body warm - The last thing they needed was for one of his organs to stop working. After a few minutes, they washed the towels and brought them back to make sure the bleeding would stop and only then silence reigned over. Norman found it difficult to breathe but his wound felt a lot better and Rachel and Ethan finally rested for a while, never taking their eyes off him. "Don't you dare to sleep. Not yet!" Ethan told him and so he tried to stay awake.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Rachel asked after a long time "First, you" She said, looking at Ethan "and now you, Jayden? What is going on?"

Ethan lowered his head, unsure of what to say. However, Jayden managed to speak – He sounded groggy, but they could still understand what he was saying– and so he spoke.

"Promise me you won't tell anybody?" Ethan stared at him, not believing he was going to tell her, but Jayden stared back "She is the only one we can trust. She can help". Awkwardly, Ethan nodded, and let the Agent speak. He sounded terribly weak but he knew he should be the one to say it.

"Don't you recognize him?" He asked, tired "Of course, he is in a really bad shape since they showed his picture on TV, just like me, but this man... This man is Ethan Mars"

The woman quickly got up, unsure of what to say, unsure is she should be staying or leaving. "The Orig-"

"He is **not** the Origami Killer" Jayden interrupted her, leaving Ethan silent due to the conviction in his voice "I have enough proofs, trust me, Rachel... And I am willing to prove it!"

"So... Y-You're after the real killer? Is that what you're trying to say?" She asked, confused. She believed in Norman more than in anyone but after hearing about Mars the last days it felt impossible to ignore what the police said.

"We found him" Ethan said, trying to sound friendly so he wouldn't scare the girl "But it was impossible to see his face..."

"And I was amazingly hit by a katana sword" Jayden finished, smiling, not even believing in what had happened.

"**He** did this?" She asked, forgetting about Ethan. Obviously, if Ethan had hurt Jayden, he wouldn't be here to help to begin with. "That bastard! Have you found your son?"

"Not yet but we're almost there" Ethan said, sure of that. He saw how Jayden was determined now, just as much as he was, and so he was sure they were gonna make it. Right now, however, he just wanted the man to rest for a while.

"Oh, Normmy..." She whispered and sat next to him, looking into his tired green eyes "Promise me you will be careful?"

"I cannot promise that, honey" He said, his eyes almost closing by their own "But I will try. Now, go back to your room. It is late"

She turned her attention to Ethan "Then **you**; can you promise me you will take care of him?"

"I promise" He said, smiling, and she thanked him. Once again looking into shining green eyes, Rachel played with Jayden's hair and kissed his forehead, their eyes closing peacefully by the soft touch.

"I..." She started, hesitating. Sighing, she kissed his cheek and got up "I will come back to see you soon. And you better go to the hospital as early as possible, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you" He said but she merely nodded, blushing, and left the room, seeing the men needed some time alone.

"How do you feel?" Ethan asked, still worried. "Any better?"

"I guess so... Can I sleep now?" Norman asked, moaning in pain but still smiling.

"Not yet. I want you awake until I'm sure you're better"

"As you wish, 'dad'" Norman said, his eyes closed. That was when Ethan finally noticed something.

"Wait, is that girl called Rachel?"

"You only realized that, now?"

But Ethan remembered what was written on the wall... "**_Ohhh, the looove: Nahman and Rachel! Deal with it Nahmaaan!_**". And then he thought about the description Jayden made of the imaginary woman on the stair, at the Blue Lagoon...

"'Blonde hair'… 'Green eyes'… 'She's looking at me'... You were talking about her!"

"What?" Norman asked, trying to sound confused. But it was too obvious and he blushed, Ethan smiling.

"Rachel is your friend! She studied with you and she still lives in here! At the same apartment you're living in while you work here. She... You are **in love** with her!"

"Stop jumping to conclusions, Ethan, please" He asked but there was a shy smile sprouting from his lips.

"I am not! You are already telling me everything with that smile of yours!"

Norman smiled bigger, admiting it. Hell, he had never been good at hiding these kind of things.

"She... She was the only girl to walk around with us back in highschool. She helped me many times, you know... With advices and attention. When I was sent to work on this case, she was the one to indicate me this apartment. I thought I was going to take a long time to find the killer but it won't take that long, it seems"

"Don't change the subject" Ethan said and laughed "Did you tell her? Or... The contrary? She almost did it a few seconds ago"

"No, I didn't... I'm not good at that kind of stuff. As I told you, I have no time and we barely see each other"

"Don't lose your opportunity, bud. You may be young now but you'll get old one day"

"Indeed" He said and smiled, feeling a sudden pressure fall over him again. He was exhausted... "Listen, I have a lot to work with... The Blue Lagoon was very helpful, I guess. So, please... Can I sleep now?"

Ethan smiled once again, checking his friend's wound and, as he saw it had stopped bleeding, he thought it would be alright to let the man rest. "Fine. Get some rest. But if I notice something wrong, be prepared to wake again!"

"Thank you. And, Ethan... You were right about that bad feeling. If it wasn't for you there... I wouldn't even be alive, that is for sure. I owe you one"

"I will not forget that" Ethan say, laughing, and them let Norman sleep. He had gone through hell to save his son; he deserved it.

If only they knew the hell the last trial would represent...


	12. Unsolved Puzzle

_Friday_

_4:47 PM_

_5.001 inches_

For Ethan, there was more than one life at risk.

He stood the entire time sitting on a chair next to Norman's bed, forcing himself to stay awake to watch over him. Time seemed to have slowed down and the rain falling over the window reminded him of what he was supposed to do. However, he too felt terribly tired and could not allow both of them to leave and risk everything. He would let himself sleep for a few minutes, only to wake up scared, looking around himself and realizing not a minute had passed. The man sighed, hoping Shaun would be strong enough, hoping he would be strong enough...

For Norman, there was nothing but darkness.

Lost in nightmares, he begged for help as a dreadful pain ran through his body and reminded him of his teared body. Often waking up, scared, he would look at the sleeping man next to him and thank God for having someone with him. Sweating and moaning he would blink many times, wishing his sight wouldn't be so blurred, and once again fall into a deep slumber. This went on for many times before he definitely woke up, almost falling from the bed in a desperate try of getting up.

"N...Norman!" Ethan called him, awakening with the deep coughing that came from the pale agent.

"I-I'm sorry..." He whispered, feeling bad for waking him up. But Ethan simply helped him to sit and brought him a cup of water. His throath dry, Norman couldn't be more thankful.

"What time is it?" He asked, drinking it all in seconds, his fingers twitching due to grief.

Ethan looked at him with sympathy and compassion, saddened after seeing such tired eyes trying to shine, the man's body completely covered with sweat and struck by shivers. He looked terrible, weak and uncapable of moving on... Ethan felt destroyed. "It is 4:50 PM. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good" Norman replied, smiling weakly, lying to himself "What about you? Did you sleep?"

"I'm well rested, don't worry about me. Would you like to take a shower?"

"Could you take me to the bathroom? I'm afraid I'll end up falling on my way" He laughed, returning the cup to the architect, who gladly helped him once again. Letting him relax under the running water, Ethan cleaned his soaked bed and made sure to get them something to eat. By the time Norman left the bathroom and changed his clothes, there was some coffe over the table and also some clean towels and bandages over the bed. Without arguing, Norman let Ethan check his wound and change his bandages before they could finally eat. Both sat on the table, silent, and ate a little, the warm coffe warming up their spirit once again.

"I... I believe I can find out where Shaun is" Jayden said after a while, breathing slowly "I have some information from the Blue Lagoon. If we can avoid the last trial..." He sighed, already relieved just by thinking about the possibility of freeing Ethan from any more suffering.

"Are you sure? What did you find in there?"

"I don't remember... But I will as soon as I take a look at it" He answered, looking to his watch and getting up "If you don't mind, I think it is about time I do that."

Letting the man walk by himself, Mars stood still, waiting as Norman picked up his glove and glasses, feeling somewhat hesitant about using them. Before he could think too much, however, he decided to work and so he sat on his desk, being engulfed by the well known forest ARI created for him. Ethan was now a distant memory to his sick mind.

The father looked to the watch, realizing time had finally passed by. As if with butterflies on his stomach – "Butterfly" brought him a bad feeling - , Ethan laid his head on his hands and waited, aware to any problem the agent could have.

_"Oh, one last thing, sir. You should be careful not to over indulge in you-know-what. It can be dangerous, very dangerous. It'll end up killing you, if you're not careful... That would be most unfortunate, sir"_

The words echoed on his mind, the waiter nowhere to be seen. It had been some time since he had spoken to him and having him appear so suddenly was, at least, disturbing. Ignoring that, Jayden opened his clues box and let the newest information float in front of him. There he found the well known tire tracks, the orchid and the origami figure. The first thing he saw was new was a video and a burst of hope made him choose it without thinking twice.

Pressing the play button, he concluded ARI was in record mode when they were fighting with the killer. He watched Ethan being launched against the wall once again. In sequence, he saw himself falling over the chair where Paco's body was and, with a chill, watched the sword stabbing him, a reminder of the hate he felt towards the man who had almost killed them and that was almost killing Shaun. He replayed the video, analizing the scenes until he found something familiar: A Gold Watch.

"I'm sure I've seen this before, somewhere..." He thought to himself, finding it a little difficult to think, when it finally made sense to him. The watch was the same given for promotions to lieutenant. The killer... The killer was a cop!

Ethan blinked a few times, listening as Norman seemed to be having problems breathing. He looked at him, seeing as he used ARI, apparently well. Perhaps he was worrying too much. Perhaps...

Jayden felt better than he had ever done. Physically, his pain was gone and even though he was tired, his thinking had not been affected at all. He smiled to himself, relieved, and searched for new clues. Around him, it seemed the wind had become more violent and rotten leaves started to fall from the trees. The air became denser and the sky darker. Jayden, however, noticed nothing and kept on working, searching.

Ethan got up and got himself a cup of water, the tension growing as he stared at the watch again. Five minutes had passed... He walked around the room, cursed by the same bad feeling he felt before leaving for the Blue Lagoon. He looked at Jayden and, a little worried, decided to call him.

"Did you find anything?" He asked, shy. But Jayden didn't answer, too focused on what he had found. Ethan decided not to push him and, although worried, decided to let him work a while longer before talking to him again.

There was nothing new besides the video and the killer's gun. Norman closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. Both only confirmed the killer was from the police and nothing else. Without paying attention to the sudden thunder that reached his ears, Jayden tried to find anything in common between the flower shops, the Origami figure and all of the other clues he had with the fact that there was a cop murdering children around the city. Trying to keep calm, he didn't feel as a trail of blood drained from his right eye, more thunder reaching him, the sky now almost black.

8 minutes. Time was running fast yet so slow. Three minutes felt like an eternity but as he thought about it, it had gone by faster than he wanted it to. Norm was still working but Ethan, looking at his back, felt his body shiver, a shallow breath now being heard. Only one minute would do. He would give him one more minute before calling him again, afraid to screw up his thoughts and therefore lose the chance of avoiding the last trial...

Suddenly, horor took over him. Norman searched everything and analized each one of the clues he had over and over and over... And there was **nothing**! He could not tell where the killed lived, he didn't have any adress nor any means of finding it. He felt tempted to close ARI and think but something made sure he didn't, something made sure he would keep on searching until...

A suffocated gasp came from Norman's mouth, his hands now convulsive, his breathing fast, forced. Ethan was now scared and, no longer wainting, approached the man and called for his name... As he saw blood running down his eyes, Ethan freaked out.

"Norman? Norman, talk to me! **Norman**!" He called, putting his hand over Norman's shoulder, watching as he didn't listen, as he found himself lost in this trance. He called and called, Jayden ignoring him, the sound of falling leaves and violent gusts of wind too loud for him to he heard. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to react and the only thing he could think of was to remove the glasses from his face.

That was when Norman returned to himself and faced a living nightmare.

As if back to reality, the profiler closed his eyes with force, his blood red eyes, gasping, fainting, dying. There was something preventing him from breathing and he forced himself to cough, his right hand closing around his chest begging for his heart to stop from beating so fast, begging his mind to stop killing him inside out. Ethan was trembling as much as he was, useless as the man in front of him found himself facing death itself, unable to do anything to help. He held Norman's head on his hands, forcing him to look at him, and lost himself, crying silently as the green eyes he knew so well looked at him so lost, so feeble. He let Norman lay his head over his chest, trying to calm him down, the only thing he could do, but Jayden's breathing was already imperceptible, his hands were numb and he couldn't even ask for help.

Ethan closed his eyes, unable to contain more silent tears. The next second, Jayden was motionless, his hand laying over Ethan's. "C'mon, Norm... P-Please, Norm, d-don't leave me alone...!", he begged, desperate.

For a few seconds, there was only silence while Ethan bit his lips, holding Jayden's head with care, gasping sounds coming from the profiler's mouth. But suddenly, when Ethan thought it was too late, something brought him back and this time he coughed blood, feeling oxygen run into his lungs once again. Breathing loudly, desperately, he laid his back against the chair, staring at the ceiling, his body still trying to collapse, his mind forcing him to accept it, the dreadful pain making him wish he would, and Ethan stood next to him, saying words he couldn't understand, glad for having him back to cousciousness. He waited until Norman could properly breathe, until he could properly see and, his breathing becoming slower as seconds passed, Ethan sighed in relief seeing life return to the man's body.

Norman felt broken, barely able to move, and he looked at the man next to him, fear and sadness reflected in their eyes. Ethan said nothing; instead, he let the agent lay his head over his chest again and held Jayden's shivery hand into his. Heartbroken, Norman stared into nothing, confused. Betrayed by his brain, betrayed by himself. ARI has tried to kill him, ARI, that which should help him to save lives! He was killing himself, he had betrayed himself, he... He had failed. He had failed!

"N-Nothing..." He whispered, refusing to believe "I-I analized everything... And found n-nothing...!"

"It is alright, c'mon..." Ethan told him, depressed by his friend's tone of voice. "We have the last figure, we can do this!"

"I-I don't want you to... S-suffer anymore, Ethan..."

"Nothing will happen as long as we are together, okay? Nothing!" Ethan said, even more depressed, seeing his partner in such a state.

But Norman was too broken. His physical pain had driven him mad but having to accept his mind was killing him even though he wanted to help... He just wanted to have a normal life, he just wanted to protect his friend but how could he do that if he could not even protect himself? Not able to listen, inconsolable, he whispered his last words before he lowered his gaze, ashamed, terrified, confused... Betrayed.

"I'm sorry, Ethan... I-I'm so s-sorry..."


	13. The Rat

_Friday_

_6:24 PM_

_5.115 inches_

The men moved slowly, silent, in pain, in exhaustion. Ethan had his hand over his back, a strong headache making him lose balance and focus. He was under a tremendous stress and could feel his hopes fading away. Next to him, Jayden's sight failed him, fearing tears of blood would start dripping again, his abdomen still not fully healed. They were in a red corridor, its walls reminding them of everything they had gone through until now. Hate, guilty, pain and sorrow crushed both who, in the beginning, were so sure of finding Shaun. After four days of despair, however, both doubted they would make it and, as much as they tried to look optimistic, their eyes shined with fear.

Before they realized it, they entered a fully white room, a terrible contrast with the corridor behind. Looking around, they saw many cameras scattered around the room, a table at the center with a a screen over it, a watch and a vial with a liquid inside it. A chill ran down Ethan's body and Jayden groaned, forcing himself not to lose consciousness. Still in silence, there was nothing else to be done and Ethan, looking with hopelessness to his friend, pressed the screen button.

_"The last Trial. The last question: Are you prepared to give your life to save your son's or your friend's? There is a deadly poison in this vial. It will kill you in exactly 60 minutes. One of you must drink it in order to get the last letters of the adress. You will have enough time to save the child and say goodbye, but then you will die. You can drink the vial or decide to leave. The choice is yours."_

Norman held his trembling hand with force as he heard these words and tried not to scream in hate and indignation. As the meaning of the trial became clear in his mind, he felt his knees shake and felt his whole body giving up. Ethan, eyes wide, tried to control his breath, unable to think about what he had just heard, about what he was supposed to do. For a few seconds, he stared into emptiness and the men avoided looking at each other. But as hard as it was, it had to be done.

"This... This is..." Norman gasped, unable to control his feelings any longer. Had they gone this far to end it like this? Had they sacrificed everything in order to lose what had brought them so far?

Ethan was frozen, thoughtful. He would save Shaun... And die! Shaun would be alone again without his father but... He could trust Shaun to Norman, he knew that! But it still sounded terribly wrong to leave his son again and, this time, forever. At the same time, there was no way he would let Norman do it. Shaun was his son and if it all had happened it had been his fault, not the agent's. It was his fault that Jason was dead and he not allow the same to happen to Shaun!

"Norman..." He started, his headache worse than before as he tried to sound calm and prepared. But he was nowhere as calm and he feared drinking the liquid.

"What if he is lying?" Jayden interrupted him, paler than before, not only due to stress but also to the renewed pain in his abdomen "What if you or... Or I die as soon as we drink the fucking thing?"

"Do not include yourself in this, man, please. We both know who must do this"

There was another horrid silence in the room. Norman stared at him terrified and his look fell over the vial on the table.

"Shaun... Shaun is depending on me now, Norm. More than he ever did" Mars continued, unable to speak properly "I-I can't fail again, Norman, I c-can't let Shaun d-die...!"

Norman covered his face with his hand, missing ARI. He had left it back in the apartment but, right now, felt the urge to find comfort in its killing claws again.

"So, my friend, can I trust you..." Ethan continued, breathing slowly "C-Can I trust you to... To take care of Shaun for me?"

As he finished his sentence, Ethan picked up the vial, without thinking too much. He opened it up slowly and took a deep breath...

"You haven't answered me, Norm" He said.

"I'm sorry, Ethan..." Norman sighed, defeated. And, approaching the architect, took the vial out of his hand "I cannot let you do this"

"Jayden, no!" The father called, trying to recover the vial but to no avail. Norman held it tightly between his fingers and made sure the man wouldn't be able to recover it, closing it again. He simply couldn't!

"I cannot let you die here, Ethan! Not you!" Norman said, his voice full of sorrow "What good will it do to kill yourself knowing you have a chance of having Shaun in your ams again?!"

"You are **not** supposed to do this!" Ethan screamed back, on the verge of tears "The Trials were meant for me and** me only**! You have** nothing** to do with this, you're only here because you wanted to help but this has gone** too far**!"

"_One of you must drink it. _**One of you**, Ethan! The cameras, don't you see them?!" He was now desperate, pointing the room like mad, hating the killer as he had never done before "He is watching us, right now! If he didn't want me in here, he would have found a way to make me leave. But **this** is the trial, don't you see? **Why can't you understand**?!"

"Y-You can't-"

"I am ready to sacrifice myself for you, Ethan, I have always been, since the day I've met you, since the day I felt what it means to have a real father again!" Norman continued and now he was crying "S-Shaun needs you! He needs his father more than anyone and I will make sure this happens! I will make sure your son is rescued and you live with him!"

"You don't even know me that well, we met each other a few days ago and you're letting go of everything because-"

"**I have nothing to fight for!**" The younger man said, staring into Ethan's teary eyes in a way he would never forget. His eyes shined with certainty, with the need of feeling useful once and Ethan, feeling that, forgot about everything but the man in front of him "I don't have a son depending on me; I don't have people who care, I don't have a family, I don't have **anything** to worry about! You have a child who loves you more than anything in this world! You have people who love you, I am among them, and you have the chance of building your family once again!"

"What about her?" Was all Ethan managed to say. Norman seemed to lose his conviction for a moment and looked around, reminded of the killer watching him, analizing him. He wouldn't dare to put Rachel at risk and he was thankful Ethan didn't say her name... Yet, he had already made up his mind.

"S... She will have to understand" He finished and opened the vial, feeling a disgusting scent reach his nose "I-love her so much for her not to..."

"P-Please, don't!" Ethan whispered, unable to move. "There must be another way out!"

"We cannot risk it, buddy. Time is running out... And we both know that"

The vial shaking in his hand, Jayden held it next to his lips for a few seconds, preparing himself as more tears left his eyes in a silent cry. He never feared death... But he feared dying alone. And he would make sure Ethan wouldn't be around when the time comes.

"Tell her for me, Ethan. That... That is all I ask" He said and, as Ethan was about to try stopping him once again, he let the liquid run down his throat, a bitter taste covering his tongue. Ethan froze in despair and bit his hand with anguish as Jayden began coughing and gasping for air. His throat and stomach started burning and his head felt as if about to explode the next second. Sweats immediately took over his body and he felt his heart speeding up, upholding himself on the table in order to stay still. Ethan's cry echoed through the room as guilty took over him once again and he looked away, too afraid to watch his friend die, too afraid to realize the poison was immediate. A morbid silence fell over them, being broken by the sound on Ethan's cellphone.

"_The last letters have been sent to your phone"_

Picking it up with difficulty, Ethan Mars looked at the adress. _852 Theodore Roosevelt Road_. He took another deep breath, hearing Jayden breathing slowly behind him, and whispered.

"852 Theodore Roosevelt Road. W... We did it, man"

"Yeah..." Norman sighed, holding the watch which showed how much time he had left to live.

"We did it".


End file.
